


a kiss to say goodnight

by lilac_drop



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Blow Jobs, Body Worship, First Time, Friends to Lovers, Frottage, Getting Together, M/M, Mutual Pining, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Sloppy Makeouts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-06
Updated: 2018-04-17
Packaged: 2019-01-09 15:50:06
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 21,126
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12279624
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lilac_drop/pseuds/lilac_drop
Summary: He had read plenty of stories in which a kiss could cause fireworks, a kiss could break a spell. It could bring someone back from the dead. He didn’t think Leo’s mouth on his was anything like he had read about before.This was a story where he might, at the end of it, be happy.





	1. Chapter 1

“Takumi,” Hinoka said, tossing the apple she held from hand to hand, “unclench your jaw.”

 

“What?” Takumi answered absentmindedly, not paying attention until Hinoka kicked him in the shin, hard. “ _ Ow,  _ what?!”

 

“Just watching you stresses me out,” she said. “You look like you’re trying to bite through steel. Stop clenching your jaw all up, it’s bad for you.”

 

“If watching me stresses you out, then stop watching me,” he replied, but he worked his jaw from side to side anyway, trying to loosen it up, and felt how sore it was. He hadn’t even noticed that he had been gritting his teeth together until it was pointed out, probably because he did it so often.

 

So maybe he was a little tense, but who wasn’t? There wasn’t one person around who wasn’t practically frothing at the mouth – excluding Azama, maybe, but that man was an enigma.

 

“I’m just trying to be a good big sister, and that means making sure you don’t absolutely lose your mind,” Hinoka pointed out. She lifted the apple to her mouth and as she took a bite, Takumi thought it looked an awful lot like her hair.

 

“I’m fine. I’m just, you know – there’s a lot on my mind.”

 

“Well, yeah. Have you thought about trying to do something for yourself?”

 

“I read.”

 

“You do that all the time. You should put some space between yourself and camp,” she said. “Maybe go into town? It would do you some good to get out.”

 

“I’m not the going out type, you know that,” he replied idly, shielding his eyes against the afternoon sun to glance across the field. The farther north they went, the colder the evenings got. He could see Hinata and Oboro training with the sword, and he could certainly  _ hear  _ Hinata from here. He was hollering something about Oboro cheating, and then she punched him in the stomach, cutting his complaint off abruptly.

 

Around them, camp was bustling. They would be moving location in a few days, through the mountain pass. Everyone wanted to finish their afternoon chores so they could get on with their evening, and Takumi felt a heaviness settle over him when he realized how much he still needed to finish for the day. With renewed vigor, he went back to sharpening the swords he had been given, determined to finish them within the hour. He and Hinoka had already been sitting here for much too long.

 

“Whatever. You can’t just sit around in camp all the time,” she pressed, and then punctuated with a sigh when he only offered a noncommittal ‘mhm’ in response. As weary as he was, he couldn’t be idle or else he’d start worrying over everything and anything, whether it warranted worrying or not.

 

They fell into silence, but camp continued to move at its breakneck pace. Hinoka greeted those who passed while Takumi kept his head bent, bangs falling into his eyes, sharpening furiously. It was easy to get immersed into busy work, but it still needed a cautious hand, so Takumi didn’t try to continue when a human-shaped shadow fell over him.

 

He glanced up and was greeted immediately by Camilla’s bust, hands on her hips. Her black armor was newly shined and it gleamed in the dying light of the sunset; behind her, Beruka skulked silently, and it was impossible to tell if she was in an awful mood or if that was just her normal face.

 

“Lady Camilla,” Hinoka greeted, propping her booted feet out in front of her. “And what are you doing this evening?”

 

“We just came back from a stroll,” Camilla answered, tossing her thick purple hair over one shoulder. “I came to see if you’d like to come join myself and Elise for some sewing. I finally got all of the blood out of the quilt from your pricked fingers.”

 

It was impossible to miss the way Hinoka grimaced, and Takumi snorted, which earned him a sharp glare from his older sister.

 

“Well, practice does make perfect,” Hinoka muttered. “Yes, I’ll come. We’re nearly finished here.”

 

“You’ve been hard at work. Especially you, Prince Takumi. How diligent you are,” Camilla said.

 

“I’ve been trying to convince him that he works too hard,” Hinoka said, leaning forward to prop her chin in her hand. Her sidelong glance was met with an eye roll from Takumi.

 

“And I think you’re delusional,” he said.

 

“You do work quite hard. You’re just like our little Leo. When I get up for early morning patrol, sometimes he’s still awake. Him and his studies,” Camilla said, tsking.

 

“Maybe we should send them out together and force them to have fun,” Hinoka said dryly, but Takumi couldn’t help but feel a thrill of horror when Camilla’s face lit up.

 

“No - ” Takumi started to say, but Camilla quickly overlapped him with a, “That’s not a bad idea at all. Shall I go fetch him? He’s most likely finishing up strategy sketches right now.”

 

“Do you think he’d actually go?”

 

“If he refuses, I’ll simply ask Elise to cry. Whenever she cries, Leo will do anything. He’s just as weak to her tears as I.”

 

“Could you two not set me up on a play date like I’m five?” Takumi snapped, placing the blade he held down by his side. It came out sharper than intended, so he softened it with a sigh. “Look, I don’t have any time to go out, even if I wanted to.”

 

“That’s a lie if I ever heard one,” Hinoka pointed out, and she stood to stretch. “You’re way ahead of anything we could ask of you. Just go out for a little while, okay? It will be good for you, I promise. And Lord Leo too, apparently. You’re both friends now, anyway. You’re practically joined at the hip.”

 

He felt his face flush, embarrassed by her statement but in no position to deny it; the term ‘friends’ was still foreign when applying it to Leo, but it was true. They had agreed, with a healthy dose of shock and hesitance, that they were in fact  _ friends.  _ Admittedly, they hung around each other in almost all of their free time...

 

But seeing Leo outside of camp – walking around town, stopping for a drink, looking through a shop window – Takumi had trouble imagining it. He sat there for a second, silent, thinking it out. Hinoka mistook his silence for agreement, and turned to Camilla.

 

“Tell Leo that my stubborn little brother will meet him outside of his tent once he’s changed into normal clothes,” she said.

 

“Hinoka!” Takumi exclaimed, but neither of the sisters spared him a glance.

 

“I’ll go pull Leo from his work. If you hear my dear Elise crying, worry not. You’ll know exactly what’s happened.”

* * *

 

 

It took Hinoka plenty of yelling and a single kick to finally get Takumi headed in the direction of Leo’s tent, and when he arrived, the youngest prince was waiting outside dutifully. Leo was dressed in a heavy pair of leather boots and thick breeches, a black cloak resting over the white cotton of his shirt. He looked quite comfortable (and, dare Takumi think,  _ nice _ ) but seeing him without his bulky armor was still jarring.

 

The first time Takumi had seen Leo without his armor on, he had tried and failed to not stare. They hadn’t been anywhere close to friendly at this point and he had forced himself to bite his tongue so that he didn’t make fun. Leo was approximately three times smaller without all that armor on, and suddenly he hadn’t seemed so opposing. 

 

Takumi wondered often how Leo even survived in that  _ monstrosity _ in the first place. He was well acquainted with sweating in battle, as they all were. Surviving was no menial task. But good god, it was a true miracle that Leo managed to get through each battle without heatstroke.  

 

Takumi had once accompanied him back to his tent after battle and watched him peel the armor off, layer after sweaty layer. He had sat, pretending not to look, as Leo undressed and winced with each movement. His white skin had quite actually been dripping, so wet under the armor that he literally steamed in the chill of the air.

 

He remembered that night well – it was just one of many moments in which he realized his relationship with Leo wasn’t  _ normal.  _ Lately, his uneasiness grew. Perhaps Hinoka suggesting he and Leo go out to town wouldn’t have been so stress-inducing if Takumi could figure out what the hell to do with his feelings.

 

“Prince Takumi,” Leo greeted when Takumi drew close, tacking the title on dutifully since they were in the presence of other people, “good evening.”

 

And he smiled, just a little, and there it was, the uncomfortable kicking of Takumi’s heart in his chest. He knew what the surge meant, why his palms got a little sweaty whenever Leo would lean close to him during an afternoon reading. He knew, and it made his gut wrench.

 

“Did Elise have to cry to get you away from your work?” he asked, crossing his arms to tuck his cold fingers into the warmth of his armpits.

 

“I came willingly…mostly. I don’t go out much, for obvious reasons,” Leo replied. “I find it hard to relax in these times, but our sisters do have a point. Maybe seeing something besides this stuffy camp will be healthy.”

 

“Taking their side, are you?”

 

“I like to think of myself as a neutral party.”

 

Takumi snorted, and Leo threw up the hood of his cloak, trying to protect the tips of his ears from the harsh breeze that blew across the fields. On their way out of camp, many of their comrades nodded or said hello, but no one stopped them to ask where they were headed. It hadn’t taken long for their curiosity to die once Takumi and Leo had started spending so much time in each other’s company; as Hinoka said, ‘no one was really surprised’. Whatever that meant.

 

The walk into the nearest town was short – Brisborn was Nohrian territory but too small to have any political weight, and from what Leo told him, the civilians were quiet. The neighboring towns had more of an issue with complaints and civilian unrest, but Brisborn tended to lay low.

Admittedly, this relieved him a great deal. It was hard to be in Nohrian territory, there being no way on this earth that he could ever hide the fact he was Hoshidan.

 

From his hair to his clothes to the way he spoke, everyone knew. And not everyone liked it.

 

“I’ve heard from Niles that there’s a nice tavern on the edge of town,” Leo said. It had grown darker during their walk and the moon wasn’t yet full, but he – predictably – had come prepared; Takumi had watched in amazement as Leo ripped a simple looking piece of paper in half, and its two pieces burst into a flame that sustained. Leo held the little glowing fire in his hand, unburned. It lit up the road in front of them just as a torch would.

 

“Is that what he gets up to in the evenings?” Takumi asked dryly. “I’m surprised he and Odin aren’t hanging off of you like extra limbs right now.”

 

“I don’t think you’re one to talk when your retainers cling to you like fungi. But somehow, I’m not quite surprised that they haven’t accompanied us. Oboro still tends to vacate the room when I come around.”

 

“She’ll warm up to you.”

 

“Will she?”

 

“Well, maybe not,” Takumi said, waving his hand like he was dismissing it. “I wouldn’t take it personally. You’re not the only one she doesn’t want to be around, trust me.”

 

He glanced over and saw Leo staring at him, face unreadable. In the firelight, his eyelashes cast long shadows over the curve of his high cheekbones. Takumi’s breath stumbled, just a little, and Leo looked away.

 

“What?” he asked.

 

“Hm?”

 

“What was that look for?”

 

“Was I giving you a  _ look _ ?” Leo asked, and Takumi rolled his eyes.

 

“Have you finished the new strategies yet?” he asked, not-so-subtly letting their short debate drop, and the question prompted a miserable sigh from Leo. “Oh, that bad, huh?”

 

“It’s just been a pain. A shifting army is hard to manage when it comes to making plans, as you know. It would be helpful if I could keep track of half of the Hoshidan soldiers. All of your training is very different from ours.”

 

“If I have time tomorrow I’ll come by. I’ll be your Hoshidan strategic savior,” Takumi said, and the edge of Leo’s mouth quirked into a half-smile that only popped up when he was amused. By now, the little expressions that crossed his face were starting to become familiar to Takumi.  

 

“My savior? Was it I who nearly dropped into an endless chasm? I think you were the one who took my hand.”

 

“You can only use that as leverage against me for so long.”

 

“I’ll use it so long as it keeps working.”

 

“I should have pulled you down with me,” he muttered, and a laugh startled its way out of Leo’s mouth. Takumi felt his face warm.

 

When the lights of the town made their path a little easier, Leo clapped his hands together, snuffing the flame. Ash scattered away from his palms and he wiped them on his breeches; Takumi was no good at magic, and never had been, but Leo made it look simple.

 

_ A prodigy,  _ Xander had said to Takumi once, when they had ended up on a scouting together.  _ My brother has always been so skilled in everything he tried his hand at, but he was born for Brynhildr. Magic came to him easiest of all. _

 

Takumi had held his tongue then, remembering the way Leo had bemoaned the way his siblings thought his talent was without hard work. Of the many things they had in common, this was not one – Takumi couldn’t understand what it meant to be prodigal. He had told Leo as much, and the other prince had nodded, said,  _ perhaps it’s for the best. _

 

Brisborn was a lot like many of the other Nohrian towns that he had seen, the buildings low and leveled to bare off cold. There was a surprising amount of people milling around on the main avenue, boots clacking against the cobblestone of the street. He didn’t say anything when Leo pressed in closer to him to avoid bumping into anyone, their hands brushing every other step or so. Neither of them commented on it, but they didn’t stop it, either.

 

Some heads turned, mouths agape - perhaps most recognized Leo as their prince, but some were staring straight at Takumi, gazes wary. He wished he had a hood to pull over his head just as Leo did, feeling the prickling urge to hide. Instead, he squared his shoulders, meeting each gaze that fell upon him until the other person looked away.

 

“You look like a guard dog,” Leo commented.

 

“I don’t like people staring at me.”

 

“Civilians stare at me in Hoshidan territories. Can you blame them?”

 

“No. But that doesn’t mean I have to like it.”

 

“Touché. But you’re in luck. We’re here.”

 

Takumi skidded to a stop as Leo grabbed the door of the tavern they were passing. It had one single front window, and he could see that the inside at least looked cozy, glowing with a fire. He walked in when Leo held the door for him, and Takumi gave him a side-eye.

 

“Suddenly a gentleman?”

 

“I’ve always been a gentleman,” Leo replied, letting the door swing shut behind him. Someone in the tavern was playing the piano, the tune a little eerie. Fitting for Nohr, at least. “You just never noticed.”

 

“Oh. Was that before or after you called me disgusting?”

 

“Let’s not revisit the earlier days of our relationship. Besides, you wouldn’t want to play that game. You’ve said some colorful words to me as well.”

 

“Buy me a drink and I’ll conveniently forget it,” Takumi said, the back-and-forth between them very expected now, although he never grew tired of it.

 

“…I can do that,” Leo said, and pushed his hood back. His blonde hair was mussed, and Takumi felt the impulse to smooth it down. Most of the patrons paid them no mind, wrapped up in their own conversations. The rafters in the tavern were low, and a huge fire roared beneath the stone mantle. Takumi thought his fingers might warm up yet.

 

He followed Leo to the bar, and when the barkeep turned around, he nearly dropped the bottle he was holding.

 

“Lord Leo!” the older man sputtered, and he bowed his head quickly. “What finds you in our small town?”

 

“Our armies are passing through. Please, be at ease.”

 

“Of course. Let me offer you drink for free. We have hot cider over the fire now.”

 

“No, no. I’ll pay,” Leo said, waving his hand once. The barkeep seemed like he was torn between arguing and agreeing, unsure which was safer. His mustache was practically twitching off his face. Takumi always felt vaguely uncomfortable watching people wrestle with formality in front of royals, as if one wrong choice was fatal. Maybe, at times, it was.

 

“You’re sure?” the man asked. He glanced at Takumi but didn’t dare say a thing. Takumi pretended he was suddenly very interested in looking at the back of Leo’s head.

 

“Yes. Two of whatever you recommend. My companion and I aren’t picky.”

 

“Speak for yourself,” Takumi muttered, and Leo’s hand twitched, probably stilling itself from whacking Takumi in the ribs.

 

“Of course, my Lord. Sit anywhere, please! I’ll be right over.”

 

When Leo turned around, it seemed as though he had aged about 50 years, and Takumi had to press his lips into a hard line to keep himself from laughing. Having the same thought, they headed toward the back, unwilling to sit anywhere near the door or center of the room. They settled at a table near the fire, and Takumi finally pushed his sleeves back farther to the elbow, freeing his hands. They were splotchy from the cold.

 

The space between them was silent, but peaceful. Takumi watched the barkeep scurry around, rushing to get something suitable out to them.

 

“My family was in Windmire once,” Leo said, resting his cheek against his knuckles and drawing Takumi’s attention, “and when we were riding through the citadel, an old woman fell in front of my brother’s horse. One of the guards tried to beat her into getting up, and Xander struck him in front of everyone who watched. He made the guard apologize to her, but I could see even then it was difficult for him to swallow his pride.”

 

Leo blinked, eyes moving to the fire. They seemed bright as rubies. Takumi didn’t say anything, waiting for him to finish; his mouth was still a little parted, like he was in the middle of a thought.

 

“I wonder what it’s like to think yourself so above the people you’re supposed to serve,” he finished. “I think position can ruin a man.”

 

“Ryoma told me that a leader should fall in love with their people before they can really lead,” Takumi said, not questioning Leo’s sudden commentary. “They dedicate themselves to the royal families, and we should dedicate ourselves to them.”

 

“I agree.”

 

“I grew up close to my people. Our family always attended events that happened in the capital or around in towns. It hasn’t been that easy in a long time, but I remember it. I miss it,” he said. His childhood had been an extreme blend of joy and sorrow, and sometimes he couldn’t parse through it unless he tried to pick it apart by the pieces. Speaking on it now, he remembered the warm summer nights of the festivals, the fireworks and games; he had led Sakura around by the hand, saddled with the task as her older brother but proud to do it.

 

“I envy you for that,” Leo replied, and then paused when the barkeep came over and put two of some of the hugest mugs Takumi had ever seen in front of them. The amber liquid steamed in billows.

 

“I made it a little heavy,” the barkeep said, “I know wartime is hard on a man.”

 

“It’s appreciated,” Takumi said, and Leo let out a little huff of amusement.

 

“Thank you. You can keep the tab open,” Leo told him, and he nodded before leaving them alone once again. Takumi lifted the cup to his lips, and the liquid burned in more ways than one as it went down his throat. He coughed sharply, and the other prince raised his brows.

 

“Good?” he asked dryly, and Takumi pressed the back of his hand to his mouth for a second before nodding.

 

“Try it.”

 

“I’d prefer not to scorch my tongue from my mouth.”

 

“Why not? You’d be doing me a favor.”

 

Leo leveled him with a look that could have melted steel, and Takumi only gave him a smile in return.

 

“I feel like you’re unusually insufferable tonight,” Leo commented, and he held the cup between his hands. His fingers were pale against the dark ceramic, and Takumi thought (not for the first time) that they were pretty fingers, unmarred thanks to the constant protection of armor. One night, not too long ago, he had dreamt that he put those same fingers in his mouth, and had awoken in such a sweat that his clothes had been soaked through.  

 

“That implies I’m always insufferable,” Takumi said, “and we both know I’m a delight.”

 

“Do we?”

 

“We  _ should.” _

 

“Hm. The jury’s still out.”

 

Leo smiled, just a hint of his teeth showing, and Takumi felt weak. When he saw Hinoka next, he was sure she would ask him how the night had been, and he would have to lie through his teeth that it was  _ just okay.  _ He always had a good time with Leo, even if they were just sitting together and working. The thought was as terrifying as it was comforting.

 

Takumi constantly veered between accepting the way he felt for Leo and rejecting it wholly, wrestled with how he shouldn’t feel this way because they grew up hating each other’s guts by sheer principle. Sometimes, he wanted it to disgust him, overcome by the fear of this never going away. He wished, maybe, that they could go back to being enemies.

 

And then Leo would only have to look at him, and he remembered why this was impossible to escape, even if it did hurt. One day, Leo would marry a wealthy girl and have beautiful babies, and Takumi would be their godfather or some other horribly ridiculous thing. He would be the good friend. He would never marry.

 

He took another drink, deeper than the last, and pushed his worrisome thoughts away as firmly as he could. They sat together amicably, toasting by the fire. Takumi reclined back in his chair and felt his foot bump against Leo’s, who hardly paid it any mind. The pianist at the front of the tavern began to play something that wasn’t so dark, and Takumi felt something that he was sure had to be contentment.

 

For now, nothing existed outside of here. All that mattered was what was left of his drink and their feet resting together beneath the table.

 

“I’ve been wondering about something lately,” Leo said suddenly, breaking their silence, and Takumi raised his brows.

 

“When you don’t follow that up with anything, I get worried.”

 

“Hush. I’ve wondered, what will we do, both of us? After this is all over?” he asked. “Eventually, wars must end.”

 

“I’m not sure,” Takumi replied. “I’ve never thought about it much. My family expected different things of me than they did Ryoma. I always figured I’d just help support the kingdom, if Hoshido won. Or I’d be dead. There never seemed like another option.”

 

“I understand. Being the second prince is just as difficult in its own right, isn’t it? I’ve been considering the future more now, though, after the union. It will change practically everything in our politics.”

 

“We’ll be seeing more of each other, that’s for sure. The world will seem a little bigger. Who knows?”

 

“No aspirations of being a wood whittler? Shaving off your hair and living a life of celibacy?” Leo asked dryly. “Mm, no. I don’t think I can imagine you without all that hair.”

 

“I’m not sure if I should be offended or not. And what will you do? Practice dark magic? Sacrifice goats? Sheep?”

 

“How little you think of me. Goats and sheep are low-brow. One would have to sacrifice a virgin, at the very least.”

 

“I don’t think you can sacrifice yourself when you’re the one performing the magic,” Takumi said, and Leo, who was in the middle of drinking, choked hard enough for liquid to spew back out of his mouth. The laugh that escaped from Takumi’s mouth was so loud that it drew a few stares.

 

“ _ Horrible, _ ” Leo seethed. Takumi managed to spot the drop of liquid that curved its way over Leo’s full bottom lip before it was being wiped away hastily. “You’re horrible.”

 

“Was I wrong?”

 

“I’m not drunk enough to talk about this with you.”

 

“Then keep drinking,” Takumi said. He felt like he was going to start laughing again, the cider making him a little lightheaded. He was hardly the heavyweight his brother was. “Really, though. You’ll keep on learning magic, won’t you?”

 

“I want to learn as much as I can. I’d like to study with Hoshidan practicers, actually. They have a very interesting way of technique. It’s an option that wasn’t available to me before.”

 

“Huh. I really can’t get rid of you that easily, then.”

 

“It seems not.”

 

“I suppose I can suffer through it.”

 

“That’s the kindest thing you’ve said to me yet. I’m truly touched,” Leo teased, and Takumi rolled his eyes in answer. They kept up their brisk pace of drinking, discussing the union here and there, some strategy, and then it shifted wildly when the barkeep brought out more cider. They argued heatedly about books they had both read, about who was better at cooking duty, which of them had more battles strikes under their belt.

 

It was, as usual, the kind of discussions Takumi longed for. He wanted to argue literature, strategy, the arts, and Leo indulged him with enthusiasm. Leo agreed with his points of view about as often as he disagreed, their different upbringings drawing wild lines between how they thought of the world. Takumi found himself laughing more often, a little too loud, and Leo’s pale face was flushed red, hands moving in the air when he talked.

 

An hour passed, then two. Patrons began to clear out of the tavern until they were nearly the last ones left. The barkeep was sweeping up, and Leo pressed two fingers to his temple, shaking his head.

 

“We should head back,” he said, slurring a little, and then he huffed out a laugh. “This will be a long walk.”

 

“One more,” Takumi suggested, and Leo narrowed his eyes.

 

“One more what?”

 

“What do Nohrians like so much? Whiskey?”

 

“Oh, Takumi. No.”

 

“Are you scared?” he asked, and then waved his arm, catching the barkeep’s attention. “Sir! Whiskey, please.”

 

“Ah, certainly,” the barkeep replied, pulling the appropriate bottle from the shelf, and Leo groaned.

 

“Whiskey is horrific. Niles can drink it by the gallon, but I could never get a taste for it. You do realize that you may vomit, yes?” 

 

“It’s a  _ cultural experience _ .”

 

The barkeep brought over shallow tumblers, two fingers width of amber liquid. He set it in front of them and said, amused, “Cheers.”

 

Leo dug into the satchel he had brought and counted out a handful of coins before he dumped it into the barkeep’s hand.

 

“Payment, plus tip.”

 

“Thank you, my Lord!” he said, bowing his head once. “Have a blessed night. Be safe getting back.”

 

“Surely,” Leo replied, and he turned back to Takumi, grabbing the whiskey and raising it. “You heard the man. Cheers, then. To...what?”

 

“Unlikely union,” Takumi said, and Leo raised his brows in appreciation. They knocked glasses and threw the shot back. It burned like hellfire, and Takumi coughed sharply, afraid for a second that Leo would be correct. His stomach felt like it might rebel and he slapped a hand over his mouth.

 

“I told you,” Leo managed, seemingly bearing it with a brave face.

 

“How do you drink this? At any point?” Takumi wheezed. “It’s acid.” 

 

“A steel will. And desensitizing.”

 

Leo scraped his chair back and stood with a wobble. He lent a hand to Takumi, who was just as bad off, and he took it gratefully. Leo’s hand was warm and a little bony - even before they were friends, Takumi had held this hand as it snatched him away from certain death. When Leo told him to take his hand, he had obeyed. He supposed that would never change. 

 

They began their walk back, bumping into each other, sometimes stumbling in a way that spurred a breathless laugh. The town had grown darker, fires snuffing out as civilians headed to their beds. The shock of the cold night sobered them just a little, but Takumi became increasingly and worryingly aware of how drunk he was. 

 

“Tomorrow morning is going to be hell,” he mumbled as they started their way into the forest. Leo didn’t bother lighting a torch, instead relying on the dim light of the stars and waxing moon to help guide them. 

 

“Water will be the biggest ally we have,” Leo replied, and he stumbled. Takumi threw an arm out, the kneejerk reaction of being an older brother, and Leo reflexively grabbed his bicep to steady himself. “Ah, thank you.”

 

“Of course,” Takumi replied, and when Leo didn’t let go, he continued, “Will you live?”

 

“One can hope,” he groaned. With Leo’s body pressed so close, Takumi couldn’t think of anything witty to say in response. In fact, he could hardly think of anything to say at all. It was surprisingly hard to get his mouth to coherently work. 

 

They shuffled down the path, camp growing closer with each step. Takumi felt vaguely nauseous, but his mind was clearing between the fresh air and movement. Leo, however, seemed to only slump more, his hold on Takumi’s arm alternatively tight and loose. 

 

“I’ll walk you back to your tent,” Takumi offered, and Leo nodded his head before letting it clumsily fall onto Takumi’s shoulder. He felt a surge of affection course through his veins, sharp as a blade, and tamped it down as though he could make it disappear completely. 

 

“Thank you,” Leo slurred. “Gods, I feel awful.”

 

“Once you vomit and drink water, you’ll feel fine. In theory.”

 

Camp was quiet besides the snores and chirp of crickets, and Takumi dutifully drug Leo back to his tent as promised. He opened up the cloth flaps for his friend and waved him inside. Leo all but collapsed onto the ground, rolling over onto his back with a grunt.

 

“Drinks must catch up to you slow. Here,” Takumi said, kneeling, catching himself hastily when he nearly fell over. He grabbed Leo by the ankle and pulled his leg out before working at the laces of his boot. He untied the knot and starting pulling the leather through the eyelets while Leo continued to catch his breath. 

 

“Somehow, I never thought you’d be undressing me like this,” Leo said, resting his hands on the flat of his stomach, and Takumi froze, glancing up.

 

“That implies you’ve thought about it,” Takumi responded, proud of how even his voice sounded, though his heart was suddenly pounding as though he had just run miles. Leo laughed once, sharply, but he didn’t reply. Takumi pulled the first boot off and started work on the other, his fingers a little clumsy.

 

“I had - had a good time tonight. I’m glad our sisters talked us into it.”

 

“You sound so drunk.”

 

“So do you. I’ll have sense to be embarrassed tomorrow,” Leo said, and after Takumi yanked off the second boot, he sat up, swaying at the waist. He tipped forward, face drawing dangerously close, and Takumi clutched Leo’s shoulder to steady him.

 

“Get some sleep,” Takumi said, and Leo nodded. 

 

“Yes, I will,” he replied, and punctuated it with a yawn. He smelled like whiskey, and Takumi felt the compelling urge to kiss him. Leo’s face was  _ right there _ , so soft-looking and gods. The want hit Takumi in the gut like a suckerpunch, and he had to force himself into standing. 

 

“Goodnight, Leo,” he said, and Leo mumbled something like a response as he lay back down. Takumi ducked out of the tent and shook his head, as though it would clear out any thoughts that would have him turning back around. It was a battle of will to keep his feet moving forward.

 

Sleep. Sleep was exactly what he needed. Somehow, though, he was sure that it wouldn’t be peaceful.

 

* * *

  
  


The next couple of days passed quietly, but on the morning that camp picked up to leave, the sky grew dark and heavy with a warning. It was only an hour into their journey through the mountains that rain started to fall, just a drizzle that turned into a downpour.

 

Getting through the pass should have taken only the day, but they felt the hours crawl as they slipped through the growing mud and warded off rocks as they tumbled from the mountain side. The horses kept spooking and everyone was generally miserable as they got soaked through to the bone. Evening had hardly been reached when Corrin forced them all to stop.

 

“We’re not making any progress exhausting ourselves like this,” she told the troops, and no one bothered to complain or debate the fact with her. “We’ll keep following the river until we get to a clearing and we’ll stop for the night. We’ll be safer from rockslides there.”

 

They obeyed her order, eager to stop for the day and try to get warm. Takumi could practically feel the ache in his arms that would develop from trying to detangle his hair later. The river that ran alongside them was roaring, the rain picking up the current and making it ugly. The distance they kept from the side was generous, but it clearly made everyone nervous. Takumi counted the moments until they found a space big enough to set camp.

 

The rain tapered off to a mist by the time they were able to settle, and Takumi couldn’t get off his horse fast enough. He helped set up the tents (which he loathed), keeping a close eye on Hinata when he strayed to the river to try and get water for boiling. His retainer had a tendency to be clumsy in his haste to get chores done, and if he had to jump into the river to save Hinata from drowning just because he wanted to be impatient…well, he might just let him drown.

 

They only partially unpacked, their overnight stop hardly worth setting up complete camp unless they were staying for an extended time. That meant less work, but Takumi was still dragging by the time night fell, having run himself ragged trying to help. Corrin was stressed, Hinoka was snappish, and all of the troop members were weary.

 

Once it became clear there was nothing else to do for the night, he forced Hinata and Oboro to rest, and they begrudgingly left his side to go get something to eat. He went looking for Leo and found about everyone else  _ but  _ his friend; they had only spoken in short spurts during the day, considering they had been assigned to covering different sides of the army. Really, they had hardly had time together at all since their night out.

 

He looked everywhere he could think of, only giving up when he ran into Ryoma. His brother requested that he check on Sakura, which Takumi did without argument, making sure his little sister had eaten and was safe in the tent she shared with Hinoka. She was completely capable of taking care of herself, but she tended to neglect her own needs in favor of anyone else, always the bleeding heart. They were family – it was necessary for them to keep an eye on each other.

 

By the time he returned to his own tent, he was hungry and irritated, ready to rest his swollen feet. Takumi wasted no time in yanking off his traveling clothes and replacing them with a heavy yukata, skin rising with goosebumps at the chill in the air.

 

The camp outside of his tent was unusually quiet, especially for nighttime when people tended to socialize before bed. Anyone who wasn’t on patrol had retired to their own quarters, exhausted from the day of hard journey. Takumi didn’t blame them; he only wandered outside to get some of the stew Effie was heating over the fire, and then he was back huddled in his tent, the flaps cracked open so he could use the light of the bonfire to read.

 

Even propped up on his elbow, he felt his eyes slipping shut, head nodding now and again as his body tried to suck him into sleep. He was close to giving in and closing his book when the light of the fire was blocked by a body.

 

“Can I come in?” a familiar voice asked, and Takumi didn’t even look up when he replied, “Sure.”

 

Leo crouched under the opening of the tent and carefully sat down, his armor restricting his movements just enough that he seemed awkward. Takumi pursed his lips against the laugh that threatened to make its way out.

 

“Where have you been all evening?” Takumi asked, flipping the book over and placing it down.

 

“Is this what it’s like coming home to a wife?” Leo mused, and Takumi felt himself flush before he scowled.

 

“You’re not funny.”

 

“I’d like to think that sometimes I can be decently humorous. To answer your question, I’ve been out scouting the nearby area to make sure I have a lay of the land. I have to run patrol tonight.”

 

“Unlucky. I’m not on until morning,” Takumi replied. “Did you come to ask me something or did you just drop by to harass me?”

 

“As much as I enjoy visiting with the sole purpose of making you miserable, I do actually have something for you.”

 

On his shoulder rested the strap of a satchel, and Leo shrugged it off before opening it, digging a clawed hand in. He pulled out a handful of papers and handed them to Takumi, who took them with a curious narrowing of the eyes.

 

“Strategies,” Leo supplied as Takumi flipped through them once. “You said you’d take a look at the ones I had made for the Hoshidan troops. I know you haven’t exactly had time to come by and assist in making them, so I thought you could review them. I trust your eye.”

 

For a moment, Takumi felt a little bubble of pride swell in his chest. Leo was notoriously stubborn when it came to his strategies, so the fact that he was handing them over for a second opinion was immensely satisfying.

 

“I’ll read them tonight.”

 

“No, no. You should get some rest.”

 

“Worried about my health, are you? I’m fine. I want to see what you’ve come up with.”

 

“Luckily for you, I’m too tired to argue,” the other prince sighed. He reached out and picked up the book Takumi had been reading. His eyes scanned the page and he read aloud, “‘It was all familiar and completely strange. She wasn’t afraid anymore. She simply had a sense of urgency’…what is this, fantasy?”

 

“Yes. Are you reading me my bedtime story?” Takumi asked, his response a little delayed as he was already looking at the first page of Leo’s written strategies.

 

“I wouldn’t want to spoil anything,” Leo said, and they lapsed into silence, both busied by the words in front of them. The only sounds were the low chattering of people outside of the tent and the soft flipping of pages as Leo read through the book, surely not understanding anything in-context considering he had started right in the middle.

 

Takumi glanced up now and again, but Leo never met his gaze, seemingly entranced by whatever was happening in the story. His lips were parted the tiniest bit, eyes moving fast. He seemed perfectly at ease, unrushed, pale skin cast in a strange glow from the bonfire.

 

Takumi’s hand moved before he could stop it, and he brushed his thumb against the curve of Leo’s cheekbone. The other started, the trance of his reading broken by the sudden touch.

 

“You had an eyelash,” Takumi explained clumsily, knew that he was blushing because he could quite literally feel the heat in his cheeks. Leo stared at him for a long second, unblinking, before he pursed his lips.

 

“You’re supposed to let me wish on it.”

 

“What?”

 

“It’s an old folklore. If you notice an eyelash on someone’s face, you’re supposed to let them wish on it and blow it away. Camilla told me that when I was much younger.”

“A wish wasted.”

 

“I’m no good at coming up with things like that, anyway,” Leo said before clapping the book shut and sitting it down. “I should head out. My patrol’s due to start soon. Don’t stay up all night reading, we princes should be responsible now and again.”

 

“Now and again are the key words,” Takumi said, and he nodded at Leo as he stood slowly, unfolding his long limbs. “Be careful out on patrol. I haven’t heard anything comforting about this place.”

 

“Yes, I will. Goodnight, Takumi.”

 

With that, Leo slipped back out of the tent, and Takumi was left to lie there, wondering what the hell he had just done. His heart was hammering for no reason, and he willed it to calm.

 

Leo’s cheek had been infuriatingly soft, and Takumi despaired.

* * *

 

 

Takumi snapped awake, breathing hard, jerked out of a deep sleep by sudden panic. The long, drawn out scream that had cut through the air had been severed short, but it was enough to have him conscious and scrambling. It was cold despite the bright orange glow of wild flames. His body moved on impulse before his mind could catch up, and he was on his feet, grabbing the Fujin Yumi from where it rested in the corner of his tent.

 

Bursting outside, he had no more than a second to process the chaos before his arm was drawing back, summoning an arrow and letting it fly. It shot through the chest of a Faceless that lumbered by, and the creature fell down with a gurgle.

 

He took the smallest second to scan wildly, eyes wide. The whole camp was having a complete meltdown, and a tent had caught aflame, threatening to catch anything that neared it as well. Faceless were swarming in hordes, their horrible grey bodies clumsy but surprisingly fast for the size. The screaming and hollered commands all mixed into one terrifying cacophony, and Takumi let it be overwhelming for just a moment.

 

And then he was moving again, hands shaking not with fear but with the raw power that rattled from his bow. He shot wildly, taking down monster after monster as he crossed them. The sleeve of his yukata was burning up, and he shoved it from his shoulder, freeing his dominant arm from the sleeve to give himself access. 

 

He could see Ryoma and Xander slashing through them by the riverside, bringing down their swords almost faster than the eye could follow. Takumi was clocking people as quickly as he could, relieved when he saw his allies safe – for the moment. Everyone was fighting with vigor, scared by the sudden attack but skilled in their response.

 

He swung around, a glowing arrow posed and ready, and he saw Leo riding his horse full into the thicket of Faceless that were pouring in around the curve of the river. Worryingly, his retainers were nowhere to be found, but at least Camilla wasn’t far behind him, her huge wyvern flapping its leathery wings overhead. 

 

They didn’t stand a chance against Leo’s Brynhildr or Camilla’s axe, the hulking bodies scattering the ground as quickly as they could attack. Takumi ran toward them, determined to help take out the last of whatever creatures remained. Their number was dwindling rapidly, and he felt the thrill push his bare feet faster. The grass beneath his heels was wet, the ground sinking with mud. Even though his yukata was half falling off, he was soaked with sweat, his loose hair sticking to the sides of his face.

 

Leo’s hand was raised high, strained as he commanded Brynhildr. Rocks rotated around his horse in what almost seemed like an orbit, vines twisting as they materialized to wrap around the monsters and rip them limb from limb. The harsh screeches of their pain made Takumi’s ears ring.

 

“Takumi!” Hinoka called as she flew overhead. “Guard the right!”

 

“Got it!” he hollered, and started firing, hand raw from the heat that radiated from his bow. He had no gloves, no guard, but it didn’t slow him down.

 

_ We’ll win,  _ he thought frantically, assured in his power, in the power of his allies, and they were so close –

 

“Leo!” Camilla screamed, and Takumi’s heart stuttered in his chest. He watched, helpless, as Leo was flung onto the ground. His horse had been toppled, rammed straight into by a Faceless that bled heavily from a blow that didn’t quite strike true.

 

The monster slammed its foot down, and Leo rolled, avoiding it by a mere inch. The weight of his armor kept him on the ground, unable to move quick enough to get on his feet if he didn’t want to have his head crushed. He scrambled, the Brynhildr having escaped his hand during the fall. Mud slicked his armor as he pushed himself over the ground, focused on trying to get up and away since attacking wasn’t possible.

 

Faceless turned to Leo in droves, sensing his weakness like blood in the water. They lumbered toward the Nohrian prince, their frames bent with fervency.

 

Takumi’s aim faltered. His body, as it always seemed to do, made the decision, and he abandoned the order Hinoka had given him. He left the right unguarded and went tearing towards Leo, faintly registering Oboro’s voice as she hollered to announce she was taking his spot. She and Hinata hadn’t been far behind him as soon as they were able to spot him on the battlefield; he’d have the opportunity to be grateful later.

 

Time during a battle moved at a terrible pace, simultaneously sluggish and too quick to catch. He instead measured time by the heartbeat, by the space between breath and the way his arm strained as he drew back another arrow.

 

Takumi willed his hand to move faster, an arrow ripping from his hand at such a pace that it split his fingers. The blood ran hot down his palm, and he watched his arrows bury themselves in each Faceless that loomed over Leo. He could make it. He was going to make it.

 

Leo made it to his knees, almost to his feet, and there was a split hope that he could run and give Takumi an opportunity to clear the space. Then a Faceless was swinging its arm at him, and Leo jerked away, attempting to duck. The monster’s fist clipped Leo’s face and blood burst all over his mouth, red and bright as his lip split. He hit the ground, unbalanced, and threw an arm up to shield his head.

 

There was no time left. There was no space between his heartbeat and the bow. Takumi had seen comrades crushed under the feet of Faceless, their deaths instant if they were lucky, slow if they weren’t. It was horrible and bloody and surely painful in a way that Takumi couldn’t imagine.

 

The glow that radiated from Fujin Yumi was blinding as Takumi slammed his knee into the mud, turning the bow upwards just as he released the arrow with such urgency that the power practically leveled the area around it. It had no sooner cracked through the air before he was moving his arm again and something in his shoulder twisted in protest, the pain hot and searing. The arrows were like twins, chasing one after the other, the first one burying itself under the Faceless’ jaw and the second right in the chest.

 

The force of the arrows was enough to knock the creature completely off its feet, blowing it backwards as if were a mere piece of paper in the wind.

 

Camilla mowed through the few that were left, heads flying after her axe met neck. Leo made it to his feet and Takumi ran to him, breath heaving.

 

“Are you okay?” he asked (or rather, yelled), grabbing Leo’s arm. Leo stared at him, unspeaking, blood running over the sharp point of his chin and dripping to the ground. He touched Takumi’s hand, the same one that was gripping Leo’s bicep, and the touch was so light that it was barely there. It seemed incredulous, as if by touching Takumi, it made him more real. 

 

They both stared at Takumi’s hand, and it was only then that he understood the pain that was throbbing from fingertips all the way to shoulder. His fingers were a mess of red, the middle one bent at a slightly unnatural angle. The skin was scorched. And, if he could hazard a guess, his shoulder was dislocated.

 

“I should be asking you that,” Leo replied, voice hoarse. “You - ”

 

“Big brother!”

 

The shrill voice had them both turning, and Elise came tromping up, skirt smattered with mud. She was near tears, and ran straight into Leo’s arms, though he hid his wince well.

 

“I thought you were going to die!” she wailed, and then shoved her face against Leo’s chest. Whatever she said after that was muffled by his armor.

 

“I’m very much alive, I assure you,” he said wearily, patting the top of her head. “We have Takumi to thank for that.”

 

Elise swung away from Leo’s embrace and took Takumi’s hand (the one that wasn’t demolished, anyway); she pressed a kiss to the back of it and said, “Thank you, thank you so much! You saved my brother!”

 

“I did what I had to do,” he replied, voice a little slurred as the adrenaline wore off, leaving him exhausted and in pain.

 

“Let me fix your arm. I’ll heal you right up!” she exclaimed. Behind them, Hinoka landed her Pegasus and came running, unsurprisingly flanked by Hinata and Oboro.

 

“Takumi, are you alright?” Hinoka cried, and the closer she got, the more her horror was evident. “What have you done to yourself? What did you  _ do _ ?!”

 

“I’m okay, don’t yell,” Takumi replied, trying to placate her. “Where’s Sakura?”

 

“I left her with Ryoma. We have some injured that needed tending. And you’re on that list, apparently,” his sister said. She smoothed a lock of sweaty hair away from his face and then flicked his nose hard enough to make him flinch. 

 

“Hinoka, come on!” he snapped.

 

“You scared me. Don’t you dare do that again.”

 

“Lord Takumi…you were so  _ cool, _ ” Hinata said, clapping a hand onto Takumi’s good shoulder.

 

“We’re glad you’re safe. It got a little tight there,” Oboro added. She had an ugly gash on her cheek, and Takumi felt a sudden surge of relief and happiness to see them all standing before him. A little bashed and bruised, but alive.

 

“Thank you for covering me,” he told his retainers, and they both smiled pridefully.

 

“What else are loyal retainers for?” Hinata said, puffing his chest, and Oboro rolled her eyes.

 

“Weren’t you the one who slipped in the mud when you were trying to catch up?” Oboro asked, and Hinata deflated.

 

“It’s not my fault. I’m so fast that the ground couldn’t handle me.”

 

“I thought you had busted your front teeth out.”

 

Takumi turned to Elise, letting his retainers argue amongst themselves, and she twisted her staff around in her hand. Without a word, she tipped it toward him, and it began to glow a soft light. His entire arm grew warm, like it was being submerged in a bath, and he watched as his skin faded to its usual shade, the burnt patches seemingly evaporating. His finger and shoulder twisted themselves back into place with a pop, the cuts his hands had endured sealing themselves like glue.

 

“There!” she said. “All better!”

 

Elise let off her staff and it dimmed, leaving Takumi to stare at his healed arm with the same incredulousness he always felt after watching the magic at work. His muscles were sore, but it was nothing compared to the pain that had been taken from him. He had no sooner gone to turn back to Hinoka before he was being crushed into an ample chest, the grip worse than a metal vice.

 

“Lord Takumi, you’ve done our family a favor we can never repay,” Camilla said, and he would have responded if he could have breathed. “I’m so proud to be your ally.”

 

“Camilla, you’re suffocating him,” Leo said. He had found Brynhildr several feet away on the ground and retrieved Asmund, his horse; the stallion was hobbling and its armor was cracked, but it had somehow survived being bowled over. Takumi knew how much Leo loved his horse, having been a gift to him when he was just a teenager, and wondered what had been going through his mind when he was thrown.

 

Camilla dutifully released Takumi, who wheezed in a breath, and she instead laid a hand to his tangled mess of hair.

 

“Thank you,” she said, and he nodded. She turned and put an arm around Elise’s shoulder, and the sisters hurried to find Xander and report what had happened.

 

“I thought she would snap my neck with her embrace and I wouldn’t survive after all,” Leo sighed, and Takumi managed a dry laugh. The other prince hadn’t stopped staring at him, and Takumi shifted on his feet a little uncomfortably, reaching out to pet Asmund’s trembling dark nose.

 

“My efforts would have gone to waste,” Takumi said, but Leo didn’t smile at the joke. “You should go to see Corrin.”

 

“I will, after I clean Asmund up. He’s been through worse than I have tonight,” Leo replied, running a hand down his horse’s sweat-crusted neck. “I’ll hurry. I’d like to speak with you later.”

 

“We’re speaking right now.”

 

“I meant in private,” Leo clarified, and then his eyes moved past Takumi and he seemed to steel himself. “I have matters to attend to for the moment.”

 

Takumi turned to look over his shoulder and saw Niles and Odin running towards them, surely having heard the news from one of Leo’s sisters.

 

“Right. Good luck with that,” Takumi said, and wasn’t surprised when the retainers hardly spared him a second glance before they crowded Leo, both talking at once. Takumi walked away, leaving his friend to suffer the smothering.

 

The sky was shifting over from black to a dusky blue as dawn approached, and Takumi wondered if he’d get any more sleep before the sun rose. His hand throbbed with the echo of pain, and only then did he notice how cold he was, his yukata hanging off in what were basically tatters.

 

Breath pillowing in the cold morning, he made his way back through camp to survey the damage, hoping he’d be able to find his brother quickly. Everything was a wreck, ripped tents and debris scattered all over the place.

 

He passed by a patch of blood that stained the ground, still wet. There was no body.

 

* * *

 

By the time he was able to make it back to his tent and collapse, the sky was purpling like a bruise, the sunrise just behind the horizon. He put a pair of hakama on but stayed shirtless, instead pulling his fur over his shoulder to keep the top of himself warm. He had abandoned the thought of sleep, but he could at least rest his eyes for a while before he had to get back out there and run damage control.

 

His whole body ached, and Takumi rested on his side, cheek pressing against his forearm. Eyes slipping shut, he let himself drift somewhere in between sleep and consciousness. The past hours seemed unreal, just one big blur of adrenaline and fear.

 

_ You saved my brother,  _ Elise had said, and to Takumi, it had yet to really sink in. His body had seemed to belong to someone else.

 

A touch landed on his hand, and Takumi’s eyes snapped open, startled. Glancing up, he was met with Leo’s face, expression unreadable. The other prince had taken off his armor but stayed in the clothes he wore beneath it, the head-to-toe black cloth tight over his limbs. It didn’t leave much to the imagination.

 

“I thought you might have decided to wait until tomorrow. Or, well, later today,” Takumi said, sitting up and yawning. His furs slipped from one broad shoulder, and he didn’t bother to correct it.

 

“I almost did. I didn’t want to wake you, but then I assumed you hadn’t really gone to sleep,” Leo replied. He didn’t continue speaking, and Takumi rose his brows. Leo reached up to tuck a stray lock of blonde hair behind his ear, seemingly at a loss for what to actually say. It was possibly the first time he had seen Leo struggling for words.

 

“What did - ”

 

“Thank you,” Leo interrupted. “That’s what I wanted to come say. Thank you. I’ve spent so long practicing my defense, and in one second…I had let my guard down. It was a careless mistake.”

 

“I’ve told you that I have your back. I don’t make promises I can’t keep,” Takumi said, embarrassed by Leo’s bold gratitude.  

 

“You disobeyed your sister.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“I thought I might die there. What an anti-climactic way to go, after all this,” he said, and let out a dry huff that might have been a laugh. “I saw you, you know, when you fired those last shots. I’ve never seen that kind of power from you.”

 

“I was scared I might not make it in time,” he said, honestly. He felt like an exposed nerve, exhausted and pained, but relieved to see Leo there in front of him. Takumi rested his eyes shut for a moment, letting it wash over him. Then he felt his hair being brushed away from his face, and he forced himself to stay still, shocked by the soft touch of Leo’s fingers.

 

Leo’s eyes met his in the dim light, and they held each other’s gaze. It was though his heart had moved into his throat, fluttering nervously. The air between them felt tight, and he worried he might suffocate right there; he wanted to do something, anything, and resisted the urge to laugh or run.

 

_ Say something,  _ he urged himself, but his mind was wiped blank by the way Leo’s thumb pressed against his cheek as he held Takumi’s face in his palm. It was impossible to not lean into the touch when it was all he had wanted for so long.

 

Leo tipped his head forward, and Takumi stopped breathing completely. The other’s forehead was pressed against his, warm and solid, his breath tangible when it ghosted over Takumi’s lips.

 

“Leo,” he whispered, unsure of what power saying the name aloud might have. Leo’s eyes fluttered shut, and Takumi felt the graze of his long lashes before he was being kissed.

 

He had read plenty of stories where a kiss could cause fireworks, it could break a spell. It could bring someone back from the dead. He didn’t think Leo’s mouth on his was anything like he had read. It was warm and a little dry, but just the press of skin was enough to make him feel a little like he was going to rattle apart completely.

 

Leo’s lips left his for moment, and Takumi surged forward, chasing his mouth with a sudden hunger that he was sure he knew he had, but had resolutely ignored. His hands found their way to either side of the other prince’s face, fingers burying in blonde hair, and Leo inhaled so sharply through his nose that Takumi worried he might have done something wrong. And then Leo’s mouth parted, and Takumi mirrored him shakily.    
  


The press of someone else’s tongue against his was foreign, and Leo tasted a little coppery from the blood that had flooded his mouth earlier. But it was warm and wet and perfect, everything Takumi imagined it might be yet nothing like it at all. Leo shifted closer, and Takumi felt a chilly hand ghost over his ribs, circling around to press flat against the curve of his spine.

 

He didn’t know what he was doing. A huge part of him had no desire to understand. Their teeth clacked, both of them crushing in harder, and he felt dizzy when Leo sank his teeth softly into the flesh of Takumi’s lower lip and pulled. The noise that left him was guttural and needy, unintentional but honest. Leo’s hand ran up his back and clutched at the nape of his neck, and Takumi noticed the way it trembled. His furs slipped off completely by this point, and it was just Leo’s clothed chest pressing against his bare one; he wondered if the Nohrian prince could feel how hard his heart was beating.

 

He had imagined over and over how Leo might kiss, mind stuck on a reel. No one could have explained to him how desperate it would feel, their kisses getting messier by the second, neither of them bothering to try and slow down. Takumi felt feverish, shaking all over, and Leo moaned into his mouth when Takumi clutched a little too hard at his hair. It was just a small noise, but it was enough to have Takumi pulling harder, and Leo’s head tipped back, exposing the pale column of his throat.

 

He kissed over Leo’s sharp jaw, to the soft space beneath it, mouthed down the side of his neck. Leo folded into his arms like cards, and Takumi buried his head into the juncture of Leo’s shoulder, pressed his tongue against the pale skin of his neck and followed it with teeth. The skin tasted salty from earlier sweat, pulse thrumming fast under the pressure of Takumi’s mouth.

 

Leo’s breath was hot and harsh against his ear, and then he gripped Takumi’s face, tilting his head back up for another kiss. He felt like a drowning man, breathless and completely entranced by the way Leo’s tongue ran itself over his, over the back of his teeth, everywhere it could.  

 

Leo bore his weight down and Takumi hit the ground with a graceless thump; it was embarrassing how easily Takumi let his legs part, allowing Leo to slot himself between them. He realized, very quickly, exactly how hard Leo was (as if he was much better) and Takumi pushed his hips up, half by instinct and half just to see what would happen. Immediately, Leo’s hips ground back down against his, and the friction was enough to have them both gasping into each other’s mouths, abandoning the kiss. It was hard to focus, his attention scattered everywhere, overwhelmed by the heat of Leo’s body and the soft press of his mouth against Takumi’s jaw. 

 

Wrapping his legs tight around Leo’s waist, he rolled with a little more force than necessary, and Leo grunted when his back slammed on the ground. Takumi’s hair fell in ribbons over his shoulders, tickling Leo’s flushed cheeks. The other prince looked up at him, eyes half-lidded, mouth swollen, and Takumi nearly lost any conviction he might have had.

 

“Is this,” he managed to say, voice ragged, “your way of being grateful?”

 

Leo considered his answer for a second, and when he spoke, he sounded breathless.

 

“Trust me when I say that I’ve thought of this long before you came to my unfortunate rescue.”

 

Takumi, for once, didn’t know how to respond. The answer knocked him a little sideways. Leo had thought about it before?  _ About this?  _ It seemed impossible, and Takumi was torn between hope and doubt.

 

“Suddenly I’m not so insufferable,” Takumi replied, and Leo frowned.

 

“I liked your mouth better when it wasn’t talking,” he said dryly, and Takumi almost laughed, leaning in closer. Leo rose his head to meet him, and they had hardly touched before a rustle at the front of the tent had them both freezing.

 

“Takumi? Can I come in?” 

 

Ryoma’s voice had Takumi rolling away from Leo so fast he nearly gave himself whiplash, scrambling to his knees, and he practically yelled, “ _ No!  _ I mean, no, just give me a second. I’ll be out.”

 

Smooth.

 

“Take your time,” Ryoma replied, and he could hear his brother move away. He let out a gush of air and dropped his head to hands. 

 

“I can tell you must have been a horrible liar as a child,” Leo said from where he still lay on the ground.

 

“Shut up,” Takumi muttered. He stood, looking around for clean clothes. He hadn’t even noticed that the sun had risen over the hills, and at this point, he was probably late for patrol. Ryoma wouldn’t have come looking for him otherwise. 

 

Leo sat up, brushing his hair into its normal neat state. He was still obviously hard, clearly visible through his pants, and Takumi glanced away. Focus. Focus was a valuable thing. His self-control was hanging on by a thread.

 

“We’re moving out by the afternoon. Corrin wants to leave the area as soon as we know it’s clear,” Leo said.

 

“I’m not surprised.”

 

“Be careful out there. Though I suppose that sounds ironic coming from me.”

 

“I’ll be fine,” Takumi said, tucking a shirt into his hakama and tightening the knot. He threw his furs around his shoulder, aware that he probably looked a mess but unable to muster the energy to care. It felt odd to leave Leo here so abruptly, but they certainly couldn’t walk out of the tent together looking as they did, and he couldn’t linger being late as he already was.

 

“I know. Find me later. I’ll show myself out in a moment.”

 

“Sure,” Takumi replied, pushing back a flap of the tent before he paused. “Oh, and by the way, you should probably wear something with a high collar.”

 

Leo looked confused for a moment, and then he ran a hand over his collarbone, darkening with a couple of shallow bruises that Takumi’s mouth had happily made. He didn’t even have to look down to understand. 

 

Without another word, Takumi ducked out. The sky was a smear of orange and bright blue, promising that there would be no more miserable rain. He drew in a deep breath of the cold air and let it release slow before he started walking. 

 

Ryoma was waiting for him by the riverside, the horses already saddled and ready to move. Takumi mounted and they went on their way, his brother making small comments now and again. He hardly heard him. The morning sun was blindingly bright, and all Takumi could think of was Leo’s mouth.

 

It would be a long, long day. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do you guys like how responsible I obviously am by posting a nasty two-shot instead of updating my multichapters? I wrote this monster in like 3 days and went through a lot of wine. A huge shoutout to my dudes for proofreading my drunk writing. ;^; 
> 
> Two things:  
> 1\. It's rated E for a reason - the next and last part will be pretty saucy so here's your disclaimer.  
> 2\. My gift to you: a public Leokumi playlist for you guys to enjoy if you want it, just copy/paste! https://open.spotify.com/user/seafoam_sighs/playlist/6meNtGN6JQqOPfaDMEuyLI


	2. Chapter 2

For the next three days and nights, Takumi felt plagued.

 

He had read somewhere, in an old novel that he couldn’t recall the title of, that one glance of skin or mere kiss could be the downfall of a man. It was all terribly dramatic. Takumi had rolled his eyes at the narrative; after all, he had better things to do than to let any one person occupy his thoughts.

 

Admittedly, and regrettably, he almost understood now.

 

He had so much to ask, and so little. For every question, he didn’t want an actual answer. It was easier to wonder without stop why Leo had kissed him or how he might feel than to actually hear whatever words may come out of Leo’s mouth –  _ it was a mistake, don’t you know that, Takumi _ ?

 

He didn’t want it to have been a mistake, or a whim, or anything that meant nothing. 

 

Remembering Leo’s kisses had him dropping plates during kitchen duty and spacing off mid-conversation. They had hardly any time face to face, both busied with individual tasks, and Takumi thought this a small blessing. Avoiding Leo was almost harder than actually dealing with him - whenever he thought they might be forced alone, he found any kind of excuse to be somewhere else.

 

It was childish, and he knew that, felt his pride wither a little each time he bowed out. And Leo wasn’t stupid, surely understood that he was being avoided; by the third day of their weird separation, he caught Leo glaring at him from across the mess hall, and he told Sakura,  _ sorry, I have to go. _

 

He stalked away, face on fire, mad at himself and feeling like a fool. But he wasn’t sure he was ready for the conversation that was needed; he knew himself and knew, without fail, that he’d spill eventually. His true feelings were always revealed, one way or another. A raw nerve, a cup flowing over – that’s what he was, would always be.

 

_ You wear your heart on your sleeve, little brother,  _ Ryoma had said once, placing a hand on his shoulder.  _ We should all hope to be as honest as you. _

 

Sometimes, he did not want to be honest. He wished he were better at keeping his mouth shut. As it were, there was no time for dramatics. Their troops moved tirelessly through the mountains, cutting through the valleys at the top of the pass, and the air grew warmer the further their feet carried them. It was hard going, but at least it wasn’t as horrifically cold. The snow was melting, and the crux of their journey seemed to be fast approaching; they all felt it, and it had the army high strung.

 

They settled at the edge of the forest – once they were through, it would be straight on to the canyon.

 

“Takumi,” Hinoka said, coming up to him as he helped set up tents. The sun was sinking in the sky, casting dusk in heavy shades. “You’re on patrol tonight.”

 

“You couldn’t have told me earlier?” he started, and then sighed when Hinoka’s eyes narrowed. He hated night patrol, but they were short-handed, so he wasn’t willing to argue further – the past few days had made him irritable, but Hinoka was no better off. None of them were.

 

“You and Lord Leo will cover the east of the forest. Charlotte and Camilla are taking the west. We have a small team of men set up at the camp entrance, so try to keep it branched. But don’t get too far,” she said, but he had mostly stopped listening after her first sentence.

 

“I’m on patrol with Leo?” he asked, not bothering to tack on his title. Hinoka didn’t seem fazed.

 

“Yes. Luck of the draw. Though if you ask me, whatever baby argument you two are having needs to be over and done with.”

 

“We didn’t have an  _ argument.” _

 

“Whatever you had, make it better. You two need each other to talk with, obviously. You’re driving the rest of us up a wall, and I say that in the nicest way I can.”

 

“That’s really comforting to hear from my sister,” Takumi spat, and Hinoka reached out to ruffle his hair. When he swatted her away, she only shook her head.

 

“Don’t be a brat,” she said, not unkindly. “I just want to see you happy. So talk to him.”

 

And then she walked away, leaving Takumi sitting there on the damp ground, staring at the tent cord in his calloused palm. All night, alone with Leo, stuck in a creepy forest. Sure, he could do this.

 

He looked up, squinting against the bright light of the dying sun. Near the weaponry tent, he saw Leo standing with Xander, both of their blonde heads bent as they muttered together. Their dark armor shone, but it was still dented and cracked in places, showing the wear of the times.

 

_ A Nohrian man wears his armor proudly,  _ Leo had said, just a couple of weeks back when they were getting dressed in the early morning. Takumi had been too distracted by the deep dimples in the small of Leo’s back to respond, and then Leo had slid his shirt on, followed by layers and layers of black armor. But Takumi knew now what was underneath, knew how that body writhed – not well, not much, but he knew.

 

Takumi’s mouth felt dry, and he wondered how quickly this same mouth would betray him.   

* * *

 

When dark fell, Takumi and Leo met each other at the edge of the forest. He had only bothered to put on heavy kimono and hakama, the same old thing he would wear for hunting, but he was unsurprised to see Leo geared in full armor. 

 

The night was chilly, still catching drafts from the mountainside. The breeze made the tops of the huge trees rustle heavily, drowning out the noises of the small creatures that made home beneath them. For a moment, they said nothing, both staring into the darkness of the woods. The awkwardness was overcome by the unease Takumi felt from the dark.

 

“Are you ready?” Leo asked, breaking their uncomfortable silence, and he sighed.

 

“Sure,” Takumi replied, hauling Fujin Yumi into the crook of his arm. They set out, falling into step next to each other. Leo had brought an actual torch with him, and alongside the light from the full moon, their path was clear. It would have been a nice night, but they weren’t speaking, and the forest gave him the serious creeps.

 

They walked aimlessly for an hour or so, quiet, besides the small courtesies of  _ ‘watch out for that branch’ _ or a muttered apology if they bumped together. Takumi decided very quickly that he hated this unspoken tension between them; it was uncomfortable, and maddening. Just a week ago, he had started to feel like he could discuss anything with the other prince. After all, they were supposed to be friends, not acquaintances made distant by…whatever had happened. He refused to think of it as a mistake.

 

But, who else did he have to blame for this? If they had spoken right after, if he had just made a little time and stayed put, they might have been able to work it out (with a little arguing, he was sure). 

 

Leo had gotten far ahead of him, but Takumi could still the light of the torch, haloing Leo’s hair. He paused, just watching, lips drawn into a bitter, harsh line.

 

_ Say something,  _ he told himself, fully aware that he was being a coward. But Leo had said nothing either - his silence was certainly a kind of response to Takumi’s avoidance. He thought of Hinoka, giving him her familiar sidelong glance, saying,  _ I just want to see you happy. So talk to him. _

 

If he didn’t do it now, then when? At least out here, they could discuss if they needed to without prying ears, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to go into battle without Leo’s full trust on his side. Takumi brushed some of his hair from his eyes, trying to steel himself.

 

He only needed to call Leo’s name. Call it, and he would look at him again.

Behind him, a branch snapped in two, the crack of it loud and dry. Takumi spun around, immediately jerking his bow into position. In the dark behind him, he could see nothing. But he felt dread creep along his spine, cold and sharp.

 

It felt like something was watching him.

 

“Takumi?” Leo yelled, concerned. “What is it?”

 

“It’s – it’s nothing,” he replied loudly, backing away before he turned and all but ran up to Leo, scattering dead leaves up into the air. “Did you hear that?”

 

“No? It was probably just an animal that you heard.”

 

“Probably,” Takumi acquiesced, looking over his shoulder, eyebrows drawn. Leo cocked his head to the side, studying his companion’s face. 

 

“You’re not much for the dark, are you?” Leo asked, slowly, like he was determining his words.

 

“I’m not scared.”

 

“I didn’t say you were.”

 

“Not all of us make a home in the dark like you,” Takumi said, and Leo let out of a huff of air that he assumed was supposed to be a laugh.

 

“Well, I did grow up in it.”

 

“Do you believe in ghosts?” he asked, partly just to say  _ something,  _ partly because he really wanted to know. They started to walk again, Leo raising the torch high above their heads. The mood felt faulty, as though either of them could stubbornly shut up or start yelling if they wanted. 

 

But Leo only responded with, “A complicated question. I want to say no. Saying you believe in such a thing seems childish, but…”

 

When he trailed off, Takumi bent a little to look up at his face.

 

“But?” he urged.

 

“But there are things in this world that I could never possibly explain. That being said, I don’t fear the dead.”

 

“I do,” Takumi replied. “Hoshido is full of ghost stories. Spirits have power, you know. You should be more scared of them.”

 

“Why? I’m alive. They’re not,” Leo said. He turned to Takumi with a quirk of the mouth that he was relieved to see. It was unsure, but there. Takumi felt like they had been separated months, not days, and if that didn’t say something about how accustomed he had gotten to Leo’s presence at his side – well, he wasn’t sure what did.

 

“Do you think the woods are haunted?” he continued, teasingly sarcastic, and Takumi made a click of disapproval. “Maybe there really are evil spirits wandering around.”

 

“Stop,” Takumi said broodily. “Just because you talk with the dead and creep around in graveyards doesn’t mean I want to hear any of it.”

 

“What kind of dark mage would I be if I couldn’t be a bit macabre every now and again?” Leo asked, and he glanced at Takumi, giving the torch a shake in his hands. “You know, one of the maids used to tell me a story about a demon that lived in the woods. It was a woman, once, when it was still human. A young wife whose lands became blighted, and she made a deal with an old crone. In exchange for her family’s health, the crone could take whatever piece of her it wanted.”

 

“Are we really doing this?”

 

“She died of plague, and her husband buried her out in the back. And on the night of the full moon, she came back – but, of course, it wasn’t really her. It was just a shell of her, possessed. She slaughtered her whole family, and apparently, she still wanders around the forest. The demon is the only thing that keeps her corpse moving.”

 

“ _ Leo,”  _ Takumi snapped.

 

“It’s just a story, don’t worry,” the Nohrian prince said, and then paused. “Or maybe she’s watching us right now, in the dark.”

 

Before Takumi could start hollering, a loud crack sounded behind them. They both jumped, slamming into each other, and Takumi whipped his head this way and that. He wasn’t proud of how painfully fast his heart pounded around in his chest.

 

“See what you did!” Takumi hissed, and though Leo looked a little pale, he still rolled his eyes.

 

“It’s not - ”

 

“Don’t tell me it’s not real! It could be! I wasn’t kidding when I said I believe in all that. Can we just keep moving?” he asked, and then a great rustle came from the bushes, spurring them both into unprepared defense. Leo abandoned the torch, drawing his tome while Takumi raised his bow, its glow competing with the own great light that Brynhildr emitted. Their bodies were suddenly awash visible and bright, everything forgotten for the moment. 

 

He flinched when a huge stag stumbled into the clearing, its hooves nervously clambering, and it paused, stunned into a freeze that meant it did not know which direction to run. Takumi’s finger trembled, and then he lowered his bow with a heavy exhale. The poor creature went sprinting to the side, clipping its antler against a tree and stumbling. It disappeared back into the dark.

 

They stood in silence, both feeling adequately idiotic. Leo sighed, shut Brynhildr with a clap, and shoved it beneath the strap at his side.

 

“So much for our demon,” he said.

 

“Well, the night is still young,” Takumi muttered, and Leo scoffed. Takumi raised his brows when Leo gestured vaguely with his hand, as if trying to charade something.

 

“None of… _ that  _ is real, not the stories. It’s all folklore. You’re scared for nothing.”

 

“I told you,” Takumi replied, trying to squash the tinge of irritation he felt at being accused of fear, “I’m not scared.”

 

“My apologies,” Leo said. He cast Takumi a sidelong look, and Takumi remembered for a moment why it was so easy for them to bicker as they did. Neither of them knew when to curb the argument. “My eyes must have deceived me. What was that just a moment ago?” 

 

“You did the exact same thing as me!”

 

“At least I didn’t think it was a monster, since I’m older than 5.”

 

“You can be a real snot sometimes, you know that?” Takumi said, half serious, half not.

 

“Coming from the royal brat himself.”

 

“Shut  _ up,” _ he shot, his irritation flaring into something real, something tangible. Somehow, he got the feeling that he was falling into a trap. Leo hadn’t goaded him like this in a long time, but still, the fact that he couldn’t stop himself from reacting made him worse off.

 

Leo’s eyes narrowed just a little, as if he were considering what to say next. His top lip puckered the slightest bit, and god, was that scowl familiar.

 

“If you want me to shut up,” Leo said, “then make me shut up.”

 

Takumi’s hands shot out before he could stop them – never in his life had he turned away from a challenge, and he wasn’t about to start now. He shoved Leo’s shoulders, hard, and Leo stumbled, eyes wide as if he hadn’t been the one to start it. Clouds shifted thinly by the moon, leaving their faces washed a pale glow, just enough to see. Takumi crowded him, their chests bumping, and he could feel Leo’s warm breath on his cheek.

 

“Why are you doing this to me?” he asked, voice coming out in a frustrated rush, knowing the question had more than one meaning. Leo turned his head, as if on reflex, and Takumi grabbed his face and turned it back. He felt Leo shudder, his entire body wracking, and Takumi did not understand. Everything was confusing, and all it could do was make him mad, masking a kind of reaching desperation. For an answer, for a kiss, for anything.

 

“Why am  _ I  _ doing this to  _ you _ ?” Leo asked, harshly, and Takumi felt within him an equal swell of shame and anger.

 

Reflexively, Leo grabbed Takumi’s wrist. Takumi didn’t bother to pull his hand anyway, allowing the other to clutch onto him, the metal pieces of Leo’s finger armor digging in through the thick cotton of his glove.

 

They stood there for a moment, staring hard at each other, as if they could parse through a whole conversation without words. It had been freeing to just talk normally, annoyed as Takumi was that Leo had actually managed to spook him. It had felt, briefly, as though nothing had happened between them.

 

Leo’s hand slid up from Takumi’s wrist to clutch at his fingers, pulling his hand away from his face, and Takumi bowed his head, unable to continue to meet Leo’s unwavering gaze. He refused to be overwhelmed, but somehow, looking down at their connected hands was just as hard.

 

“I was pushing you. It was childish, I know. But you wouldn’t speak to me, and I thought, maybe…I don’t know what I thought. Did I do something wrong?” Leo asked, his voice strained, probably battling his pride to ask the question. Takumi shook his head.

 

“No, don’t – no, you didn’t do anything wrong.”

 

“But you’ve been avoiding me.”

 

“Did you think things could be the same as before?” Takumi asked, slipping his hand from Leo’s. He looked up to find Leo staring at him with an expression that was carefully shuttered into indifference. At the start of their friendship, that same face had made Takumi inexplicably mad. He hated that Leo could shut off the appearance of emotion like a valve, something he could never do.

 

Between the two of them, it was Leo who was capable of the lies, whether they were spoken or unspoken. All of Leo’s apathy was curated – he would sigh, or turn away, or look down his nose as if suddenly bored with the conversation.

 

He turned now, stepping away, and Takumi had to steel himself from being offended. Leo had no more an idea of what they were doing than Takumi did.

 

“I didn’t think that,” Leo replied. “I’m not a fool.”

 

“If you’re not a fool, then why did you kiss me?” Takumi asked before he could stop himself, and Leo’s jaw clenched up like he was bracing for impact.

 

“Do you want me to feel foolish for doing it?” Leo asked. His voice was maddeningly level. “Do you want to regret it? You’ve been avoiding me like a plague, so perhaps I’m not the one to be looking at.”

 

“No! That’s not - just tell me why,” he said, aware of how desperate he must have sounded. He stepped toward Leo, and Leo did not budge, did not waver until Takumi drew close enough that the top of his head nearly bumped Leo’s chin. He flinched, then, and Takumi grabbed the hard curve of his neck armor.

 

“I should have said something, okay? But don’t tell me that you think you know what we’re doing. We  _ don’t _ ,” Takumi said, and Leo drew a sharp, indignant breath.

 

“Perhaps not,” Leo whispered, “but that doesn’t mean I don’t want it. Let’s not do this any longer.”

 

His gaze fell downwards, to Takumi’s lips, and Takumi did not bother to take a deep breath or try and talk himself out of it. 

 

_ Let’s not do this any longer. _

 

He yanked Leo forward, crushing their lips together hard enough that their teeth clacked, but he couldn’t feel the grace of being embarrassed. It moved too fast, anyway. Leo’s mouth parted like a surrender, and he clutched Takumi’s face on either side, the metal of his armor strange and cold against skin.

 

Leo tasted a little sour, exactly like the cranberries he had been eating earlier – they had always been too bitter for Takumi, and he had never liked them right until this second. Now, with Leo’s tongue sliding against his, he wasn’t sure he could have hated anything. He sighed heavily into the kiss and pushed back, their feet stumbling beneath them until Leo thudded up against the rough bark of a wide oak tree.

 

The tension of the past few days had him strung tight as a wire, and he wasn’t sure how he was handling having Leo so close, right here, bottom lip slick with spit. He wedged his thigh between Leo’s long legs, waited a second when Leo’s breath caught in anticipation.

 

“Is this what you wanted?” Takumi asked, shoved his leg up and ground his warm thigh against the juncture of Leo’s legs. Leo was getting hard beneath the thick material of his leggings, and Takumi reeled under the sound of Leo’s surprised gasp and trembling sigh.

 

“To be ravished in a forest? Not exactly,” Leo managed, gripping both of Takumi’s shoulders in a death squeeze. Takumi watched, breathing harder by the second, as Leo closed his eyes and started riding the hard muscle of Takumi’s thigh for friction.

 

If the forest really was haunted, he figured this would be a fine way to die.

 

“Who’s the one being ravished, here?” he asked, and Leo let out of a breathy laugh.

 

“That doesn’t sound like a complaint.”

 

Takumi let Leo draw him forward into another kiss, this one slower than the last ones had been. Slow, but wet; he was aware of each movement and slick sound their mouths made between each other, and it made him weak.

 

It seemed second-nature that Leo embrace him, that they would start rolling their hips against each other’s in some chase for pleasure. But it was all imagined, no real friction to be found, impossible through all of the layers. They both stuttered to a stop after a few moments, and Leo let out a long breath through his nose, pressed his forehead against Takumi’s temple.

 

“It’s not exactly working, is it?” Takumi muttered, frustrated, and Leo shook his head, blonde locks tickled at his cheekbone.

 

“We have impeccably bad timing.”

 

“I guess you wouldn’t be up for abandoning post.”

 

“You guessed correctly. Though I am tempted,” Leo said, and paused, tilting his face down and pressing his lips beneath Takumi’s ear. With a shudder, Takumi let his head loll to the side, and Leo seemed to waver before kissing a line down the strong curve of his neck.

 

Takumi shoved away, gritting his teeth like it were an effort, and it certainly felt like one. Leo swayed forward, jarred by the sudden space between them, and then he righted himself with a clearing of the throat.

 

“What happens?” Takumi asked, heart thundering nervously in his chest. “After this?”

 

“A broad question.”

 

“You know what I mean. Are we going to just – just walk away from this? Because I don’t think I can do that.”

 

They regarded each other tensely, and he wasn’t sure if he wanted to kiss Leo again or turn and run. Both, perhaps, all at once. The Nohrian prince blinked slowly, and then he reached out, his long clawed fingers gentle when they brushed over Takumi’s cheek. Not long ago, Takumi would have broken Leo’s hand if it got anywhere near him, and he wouldn’t have felt guilty for a second.

 

He leaned into Leo’s palm, now, the slick material of his glove cool and soft.

 

“When the sun rises,” Leo said, voice low, “I would have all of you. If you’d let me.”

 

Unsure of what to say, Takumi’s mouth dropped open, then closed; he floundered for words, feeling like they’d all gotten stuck in his throat. Whatever clever thing he might have said died on his tongue. For all of his anticipating, his mind was curiously blank, like a high slate wall. It was entirely possible that Leo had just killed a little bit of him from the proposition alone.

 

He had imagined, when the time came, if it ever came, he’d approach it with some eloquence. Instead, he croaked, “Sunrise, sure.”

 

“Don’t die yet. I’ll need you for this,” Leo said, and then laughed a little, in his soft way. It betrayed the nerves that his voice refused to, and Takumi felt better in hearing the shake of his laughter, the anxious hitch. It made him laugh, too, and then they were both nervously laughing though nothing was exactly funny.

 

“It’s about time you admitted it,” Takumi replied, placing one hand on his hip and watching Leo bend with some difficulty to pick up the husk of the torch. The moon was hardly high in the sky – day break wasn’t for hours.

 

Leo picked up the torch, passed his hand over it, and it lit up with a burst.

 

“How did you do that without a spell?” Takumi asked, and Leo glanced over his shoulder. His face was cast with a glow, shadows running under the curve of his cheek, the narrow bridge of his nose. He smiled, and Takumi thought that he wouldn’t make it to sun rise.

 

“Come ask me a little bit closer.”

* * *

 

Takumi leaned his cheek onto his knuckles, ripping up a fistful of dew-wet grass and tossing it for lack of anything better to do. He sat on the hill next to the encampment, watching the sun as it slowly started to roll over the distant mountains. All of the tents were dark, quiet. Everyone slept peacefully, unaware that he was having about fifty small heart attacks in a row.

 

Leo had left to check in with Camilla and officially switch out their guard while Takumi waited for him to return; it felt a little like torture. The whole night had been torture. They had tried to pay attention to their patrol, but every so often they had gotten distracted with a hand touch, a sly glance.  Everything felt nerve-wracking, raw in its newness.

 

Takumi knew how to do nothing when it came to being intimate. He had only kissed a couple of people before Leo, and they had been the shy trying of youth, some terrified fumbling. The war had split any chance he had of being half of a normal boy. It did not matter who he wanted to kiss when he was knee-deep in blood.

 

But Leo – Leo was his good friend, and he understood things of Takumi that no one before him had; it also helped that, like Takumi, he was as certainly virginal as the day was new. Leo had never talked about sex much, not like some of the soldiers in camp, did not talk about fucking girls in the attics of inns or of getting on his knees for solemn men. Part of it was surely his upbringing, but Takumi also assumed that he had no desire to impress. 

 

The first time Leo had mentioned anything of the sort was during a chess game, speaking about romance novels that Camilla liked to read, and he said,  _ “It all sounds terribly fake. Though I suppose I don’t have anything to compare it to.” _

 

And he had taken pause at his own admittance, and Takumi had nodded, remembered that he felt somehow relieved at this commonality. After that, they revealed to each other bits and pieces – how when Takumi first kissed another noble, a quiet girl, he had missed her mouth completely; how Leo once walked in on two stable boys, and that was how he learned men could even have sex in the first place (Takumi had laughed hard at that one, despite Leo’s sneer).

He almost laughed now, at the memory, but was too choked up with nerves to do much but smile a little to himself. 

 

“Something funny?” 

 

Takumi tried not to startle, turning to look over his shoulder. Leo carefully picked his way down the side of the hill. He had shed his armor, most likely leaving it in the safety of the storage hold, and was clad in a simple white cotton tunic and leggings. 

 

“I was just thinking,” he replied, “back to something you said before.”

 

“And what was that?”

 

“Remember that time you told me about walking in on the stable hands?” 

 

“Ah, I do,” Leo replied, drawing close and squatting next to Takumi. His arms were bare, and the pale hair of his skin was raised from the chill of the morning. “Ironic that you’d be thinking of that at a time like this.”

 

“Really? Is it?” Takumi asked dryly, and Leo’s cheeks colored pink. When he blushed, it showed in his ears, and it never got old.

 

“Well, maybe not,” Leo said, and there was a brief moment of silence that passed between them. He was still holding of chunk of grass in his hand, so he tossed it at Leo, who flinched and swatted it away on irritated reflex.

 

“Come on,” Takumi said, voice a little loud, and he stood quickly. “The sun is up, isn’t it?”

 

“Impatient,” Leo sighed, as if he were so nonchalant, and Takumi rolled his eyes. When Leo straightened up, Takumi took a step closer, invading Leo’s space; and while the other offered no resistance, his calm expression wavered, just for a second. Takumi wanted to kiss him, but instead, he reached out to grasp Leo’s fingers and give them a squeeze. 

 

Leo gnawed on his lower lip, a bad habit that Takumi noticed he picked up when he was idly nervous, but the dawn had him in a perfect halo. He felt a fleeting lull of calm, just gazing at Leo’s face in the blue early morning light. 

 

They walked together quietly to Takumi’s tent, feet in perfect unison. All of camp was still snoring away, save for a few patrol men who were stumbling about, yawning. They bowed their heads at the princes but otherwise paid them no mind. 

 

“I was looking at reports, it’s messy,” Takumi said once they had ducked inside the tent; he hastily tried to pick all of the strewn papers up while Leo shut the tent flaps together tightly, securing them with double knots.

 

“Cleaning up now seems redundant,” Leo commented, arching one blonde brow, but he picked up a piece of paper that was stuck beneath foot. “Though I admire you being dutiful.”

 

“You’re a charmer,” Takumi muttered, trying to piece all the parchment together so that it had a semblance of order. Mostly, he didn’t know what else to do with himself. He didn’t know how to start this, or anything, but he didn’t want to seem ignorant. In the dim, shaded light of the tent, he could see his own hands trembling, some mixture of nervousness and excitement making him shudder. 

 

“I try,” Leo replied, his voice suddenly closer, right beside Takumi’s ear. He stilled as Leo’s hand ran up over his shoulder, fingertips pressing lightly to the concave base of his throat. Leo kissed the top of his ear, so light it was barely there, and Takumi leaned back against the solidity of his chest.

 

“Your hair,” Leo murmured, breath warm as it drifted down the side of Takumi’s face, “can I take it down?”

 

“If you want,” Takumi said after a second, and then he felt Leo undoing the tight tie that kept his hair in its ponytail. Unless he was completely relaxing (which didn’t happen often anymore), he had to do something with his hair to keep it from knotting; Elise had once begged to braid it while Leo laughed, utterly unhelpful. 

 

The weight of his hair was familiar as it fell away from the ponytail, and Leo carded his fingers through it gently, working through a few tangles that were unavoidable. Takumi closed his eyes, shuddered when Leo pushed all of his hair to one side to press a kiss to his neck. 

 

Takumi reached down to untie the fur from his hips, letting them fall to the floor. Leo took a step back as Takumi turned around, and they regarded each other carefully, faces only a few mere inches apart. He watched the familiar blush grow across Leo’s cheeks as he slowly separated his kimono, pulling it from the tuck of his hakama and dropping it. 

 

“Your face is red,” Takumi commented, feeling satisfied by the way Leo’s gaze fell to his torso, staring like he hadn’t ever seen him shirtless before. 

 

“So is yours,” Leo shot back.

 

“It’s - ” he started, and then stuttered to a stop when Leo reached to place both chilly hands on his bare hips, thumbs brushing down the sharp v-line of his abdomen.

 

“Something you wanted to say?” Leo said, his smugness grossly obvious, and Takumi snorted indignantly, trying to ignore how quickly he was stirring up. He was reacting just as fast as he had last time, when Leo had been on top of him - maybe faster, since he knew what was to happen. 

 

He didn’t respond, choosing instead to lean forward, kissing Leo and drawing a surprised grunt from him. Takumi felt how his fingers clasped onto his hips tighter, just barely slipping beneath the band of his hakama. 

 

“Take them off,” Takumi managed between kisses, and swallowed a groan when Leo pulled at his bottom lip with his teeth, sliding his hands around to pull at the hakama ties. 

 

Once hakama were loosened, they could fall straight off - Leo had to simply pull the knot and undue the front ties before they dropped. Takumi kicked them away from his feet, felt his face heat when Leo leaned back to look, as if he were surprised.

 

_ “What _ ,” he snapped, and Leo didn’t reply; after a moment of tense silence, he ran one hand over Takumi’s hard abdomen, down so close that his fingers were practically there, so close to touching him. He was half hard, but Leo’s touch made him twitch, and Leo glanced up through his thick lashes.

 

“I’ve thought about this,” Leo confessed, his soft voice even softer.

 

“About what?”

 

“Seeing you in this way. I tried not to stare in the bathhouse, or when you were changing. It’s different when I can touch you. I hope you don’t think less of me, knowing that.”

 

Takumi was painfully aware that he was standing fully nude and hard before a completely-clothed Leo, and he tried not to shy away from Leo’s eyes. Ever since they had known one another, Leo’s stare did  _ something _ \- he saw right through Takumi, he looked into him. It was no different now.

 

“No,” he replied, took Leo’s hand and laid it on the strong muscle of his own chest, sure the other could feel how hard his heart was beating. “It’s the same for me, don’t be dumb.”

 

“When am I ever dumb?” Leo said, half-smiling, and Takumi couldn’t help but to run a hand over his perfectly angular face, down over the soft cotton of his shirt to his waist. He pushed, making Leo back up a few steps, and started to pull at his shirt. Leo raised his arms, allowing Takumi to take it off, leaving him at least half-exposed. Takumi bent to kiss the sharp swoop of his collarbone, ran his hand up Leo’s side to feel the curve of ribs. Leo was all long limbs, the hard body of someone who saw the battlefield but retained his leanness.

 

“Only sometimes,” Takumi muttered, and before Leo had something snippy to say, he continued, “Now get down.”

 

“Giving orders? How presumptuous,” Leo replied, but Takumi didn’t miss the way his voice wavered a little, the way his knees bent; Takumi shoved downwards on his shoulders, toppling Leo over onto the thick blankets that were strewn across the ground. He straddled the other man, knees on either side of his strong thighs, and took a moment to simply stare down.

 

“But you’re not complaining,” Takumi said, and Leo pressed his lips into a hard line but had no retort. Takumi snorted, leaning down to kiss him once, slowly. He  was surprised his hands didn’t fumble when he hooked his fingers under the band of Leo’s thick leggings and small clothes. In another time, he might have tried to be alluring, but instead he yanked, sliding them over the sharp twin curves of Leo’s hipbones and down his legs.

 

He had seen Leo naked before. They had mostly all seen each other naked – that was the nature of living in a camp full of people. There was no real privacy. So seeing him without pants on wasn’t really a revelation, but seeing him hard certainly was. Leo twisted, attempting to help Takumi get his pants all the way off, and Takumi threw them over his shoulder.

 

“You could have folded them,” Leo said, quiet humor in his voice, and Takumi leaned forward, running his hand along the strong, soft plane of Leo’s inner thigh. He didn’t miss the way that Leo’s breath hitched, the way that his legs fell farther apart, allowing Takumi to wedge between them. It was automatic that they circled their arms around each other, and Takumi let his full weight rest into Leo, sighing.

 

Fully unclothed, Takumi could practically feel each inch of Leo’s skin where it pressed against his. It was odd and wonderful. Leo surged forward to kiss him, and for that moment, it seemed like things were suspended. Their initial fervor was put to the wayside in favor of the embrace, just for a second. Takumi squeezed the hard muscle of Leo’s back, eyelids fluttering at the feeling of Leo’s tongue running slowly against his.

 

He wasn’t sure who pushed first, not really. All he knew was that Leo’s hips started to bump against his, both of their cocks trapped between the friction of their bodies. Takumi stuttered into the kiss, and Leo pulled away, bringing a chilly hand up to grab Takumi’s jaw.

 

Their faces were hardly an inch apart, and it felt like they were sharing the same exact breath as they gasped into each other’s open mouths, grinding hard. Leo’s index finger ran over Takumi’s bottom lip, and he couldn’t help but to close his mouth, trying to trap it. How many wet dreams had he had in which Leo’s fingers were inside of him, somehow?

 

Leo didn’t hesitate to push his finger inside of Takumi’s mouth, pulling back a little, watching. Without his headband (as if the damn thing did much in the first place), his bangs were messy across his forehead, falling into his eyes. They caught each other’s gaze and held it as Takumi pushed his lips up to Leo’s knuckle, the tip of his long finger nearly hitting the back of his throat. It tasted of nothing, really, just skin, but the weight of it in his mouth was satisfying, the way Leo shuddered even more so.

 

Leo pushed down on his tongue, and Takumi sucked hard, his teeth just digging in. His spit was building up, and the little shame he felt was drowned by arousal when it leaked from the side of his mouth, Leo’s fingers slick with it. It felt like he was unable to stop anything, his body acting on impulse; he moaned, soft, jerking his hips a little as he bobbed his head, pretending that the fingers in his mouth were something else entirely.

 

“Let me kiss you,” Leo breathed, drawing his fingers out slowly and dragging them over Takumi’s chin, down the fragile curve of his windpipe. It left his skin wet. Takumi nodded, closed his eyes when Leo pressed in. It was all breath, all tongue. He thought he would faint from it, the headiness of Leo’s kisses combined with the constant short grinding of his cock. He drew in a sharp breath, trying to get some semblance of bearings.

 

Leo had such a sharp jaw, a long and beautiful neck; Takumi kissed his way down the pale skin, just grazing his front teeth over Leo’s jugular. Gently, he sucked at the juncture of throat and shoulder, reveling in Leo’s immediate sigh, as if he had been waiting for it.

 

“Do you like that?” Takumi asked, genuinely, glancing up. Leo closed his eyes before nodding once.

 

“You can be rougher,” he replied, and Takumi pressed a kiss to the underside of his jaw, then his cheek.

 

“How rough?”

 

“I’d tell you if it was too much,” Leo said. He sounded strained. Takumi stared at him for a moment, thinking it over before he dipped his head back in. This time, he wasn’t gentle at all, pinching the skin of Leo’s neck hard enough between his teeth to draw out a groan. The skin darkened immediately, angry red in patches, sure to bruise later when the soreness settled in.

 

Takumi found his mouth wandering over the swoop of prominent collarbone, down to the hard chest beneath. His hands found Leo’s sides, ran over the ridges of ribs lightly, scraping his blunt nails against the skin as he went – it left behind thin streaks, and he thought it wasn’t surprising that Leo had such sensitive skin, quick to react.

 

Leo was restless beneath him, shuddering a little at the touches as if it was overwhelming. It might have been. Takumi felt a spark of nervousness run through the back of his head when he smoothed his tongue over one of Leo’s nipples, hard with the chill and even harder with the attention. The lower he went, the more he was trying not to panic over the fact that he had no idea what he was doing. He felt propelled forward, his desire to see what would happen greater than his fear of ruining it all, somehow.

 

He pressed his tongue against Leo’s nipple, hard, and Leo’s hips pushed up as if he had been jolted. Takumi, admittedly, was impatient; he could feel Leo’s cock against his stomach, a constant reminder of what was below. He moved quicker then, dragging down the flat of Leo’s stomach and gripping onto his hip bones without actually holding him down; the way Leo writhed made him feel like he was doing something right.

His heart had been thumping along at a steady fast pace for who knew how long, but he felt it lurch almost painfully when he sucked a bruise onto the curve of Leo’s hip and felt the other’s cock brush his cheek. Leo arched up against him, breathing hard, and it seemed like a plead. Takumi paused, rose a little to his elbows, just to take it in.

 

Leo was leaking pre-cum all over his own stomach, and that was what Takumi stared at until Leo made a sharp click with his tongue.

 

“Have some manners,” Leo said, and his voice was hoarse, like he had just woken up. His cheeks were flushed pink, swollen mouth managing a frown, and Takumi thought it was horribly endearing.

 

“Are you embarrassed?” he asked, somewhat seriously. He felt a surge of bravery - he was reducing Leo to this, and no one but him alone. 

 

Without thinking, he slid one hand off of Leo’s hipbone and across his stomach, smearing the pre-cum with his palm as it went. Leo’s hips lifted, like they were searching for something.

 

Takumi closed the few inches between his mouth and Leo’s cock, letting his lips fall onto the head. The skin was silky soft, hot, and unlike the rest of him, tasted bitter. Leo balked sensitively, gasping, and his hand went to the back of Takumi’s head, clutching a whole fistful of hair almost painfully. The sharp tug made him groan, but it felt sweet.

 

Takumi wasn’t sure where to go from here - should he go slow? Fast, all at once? He tongued the tip unsurely, light, but the embarrassment of what he was doing was outweighed by the incredulity that he finally had his head between Leo’s legs.

 

“Takumi, please,” Leo murmured, the words barely there, and Takumi glanced up. Leo’s head was thrown to the side, cheek pressed to the ground, and his eyes were squeezed shut.

 

“Please what?” Takumi asked, and he knew he was nearly as out of breath as Leo was, but he was sure that they were on the verge of something. Idly, he let his hand wrap around Leo’s cock, giving it a few slow strokes, and that alone was enough to have Leo arching.

 

“Touch me,” Leo replied, his face getting impossibly redder, but he had that snip in his tone that Takumi both admired and hated. “Like you mean it.”

 

Takumi thought of making any number of comebacks, but Leo sounded earnest, rushed – he smoothed his thumbs over the arc of Leo’s sharp hips and then went back down, determined. The second his mouth closed over the head, he figured it didn’t matter if he was clueless or not – Leo arched hard, stuttering out something that was maybe supposed to be praise. Takumi wasn’t sure, but it was encouraging. He pushed his mouth down further, deeper, until he was sure he might gag against it. 

 

Part of him had thought, if the day ever came, he would detest having someone else in his mouth like this. It was extremely intimate, the kind of closeness that made Takumi uneasy. But it was Leo, who trembled hard and grabbed at his hair; Leo, who tasted bitter but was so soft. And for him, Takumi didn’t mind. He kept going, kept moving his head faster until his jaw ached like it was on fire at the hinges; he let Leo buck up into his mouth, fingers digging hard into the flesh of his hips. Leo was breathing hard, hand clasped over his own mouth to muffle the sound, but this close it was easy to hear the way the moans caught in his throat.

 

Takumi rolled his hips hard on the ground beneath them, looking for some kind of friction, anything – the back of his neck was hot and sweaty under the cloak of his hair, and he was sure Leo could feel it, clutching as he was. He bobbed his head, uncoordinated with the rhythm of Leo’s hips, chin wet with his own spit and some mix of Leo’s pre-cum.

 

Leo’s thighs kept squeezing harder, making it harder for him to move his head, and he could feel the way the muscles started shaking. He had half a mind to push Leo’s legs further apart, but he didn’t have the will to break the frantic momentum. He didn’t know much, but it was glaringly obvious that Leo was close, falling apart by the second.

 

And Takumi wasn’t any better off. He hardly needed to touch himself to feel like he was about to snap in two – there was no way he could have understood before this that Leo’s pleasure would in some way be his own. It felt like his nerves were raw, and just rutting himself against the blankets was almost too much. He felt a small thrill of terror that he would cum before Leo did (as if  _ that  _ wouldn’t be his luck), but it didn’t stop him from moving his hips, moaning against Leo’s cock, trying to catch his breath.

 

“Stop,” Leo gasped, and before Takumi could even pull himself away, Leo shoved him at the forehead. His mouth slid off of Leo’s cock with an embarrassingly wet pop, and he coughed once, sharply, trying to clear his throat.

 

“What?” he asked, voice hoarse, hastily wiping his face with the back of his hand. “What, what did I do wrong?”

 

“You did nothing wrong. I want it differently,” Leo replied, sounding rushed and a little pained, and Takumi shook his head, confused. Leo let out an exasperated sigh that edged on a groan, and he continued quickly, “Together. Do you understand?”  

 

“I - ” he started, stuttered, not understanding, feeling like a fool for not understanding. Leo’s hands slid from his hair to either side of his face, pulling slightly, beckoning, and then it fell into place with such simplicity that he wondered how he had misunderstood.

 

“Come here,” Takumi said, low, and Leo allowed himself to be hauled up into Takumi’s arms, pressing against him quickly. His legs parted, and it almost amazed Takumi how easily they slotted together, Leo settling into his lap like he had rehearsed it. His thighs were still trembling, clutched around Takumi’s thick hips, and Takumi pressed his fingers into the quavering muscle as if to quiet it.

 

Leo pressed kisses to the side of his face erratically, breathing hard, and if Takumi’s heart wasn’t already close to giving out, it was surely done for when Leo started grinding in his lap. He gasped, and Leo pressed his face against Takumi’s neck, open-mouthed.

 

“Leo - let me…” Takumi started, and choked on his own words when Leo reached between them to wrap those long fingers around his cock. It was the first time he had felt Leo’s hand on him, and it shouldn’t have shocked him so much as it did.

 

“Let you what?” Leo asked, dragging the fingers of his other hand up into Takumi’s hair and gripping. Their eyes met, and Leo’s gaze fell down to Takumi’s mouth; he leaned in close enough to kiss him but stopped short. “No. You let me.”

 

And then he started rolling his hips again, jerking Takumi quickly as he did it, and Takumi almost came right then and there. He was wet enough that Leo’s palm slipped easily, and he couldn’t manage to do anything but moan. Leo immediately pressed their mouths together, trying to muffle Takumi’s noises.

 

“Loud,” Leo whispered against his lips, “I’m not surprised.”

 

“Shut up,” Takumi gasped, head lolling back. He shut his eyes, overwhelmed by the way Leo was riding against him, wished he was inside of him but this was  _ good,  _ it was too much. He slid his hands down Leo’s back, felt the way all of those lean muscles flexed. They were a mess of sweaty, tangled limbs, trying and failing to keep silent, and Leo was beautiful.

 

Takumi yanked Leo’s hand from his cock, and it felt like an immense loss, to not have the other touching him. It could be forgotten, for the second, for what he wanted. He gripped the firm flesh of Leo’s ass and dug his blunt nails into the skin, pulling him in as close as was possible. Leo sucked in a breath through his teeth at the pain, at how both of their cocks pressed together between the hard frames of their stomachs. 

 

“Leo,” Takumi rushed, “come  _ on.” _

 

Time was irrelevant; whatever was going on outside of their tent was irrelevant. All that mattered were Leo’s hands, clutching Takumi’s biceps like he was holding on for his life, trying to keep up with the frantic grinding of their bodies against each other. It was the friction that had been longed for - and Takumi could do nothing but lay his mouth to Leo’s neck, biting sharply, riding it out. 

 

When Leo came, his entire body stilled, spine arching so hard that Takumi felt him curve inward. He glanced up, watching Leo’s head tilt back, lips parted, eyes shut, and he stuttered softly on the start of Takumi’s name, unable to force it all from his throat. 

 

All it took was that sight alone and two more hard thrusts against Leo’s body for Takumi to follow, pressing his face against the side of Leo’s head as if his hair could muffle the cracked moan. He smelled like sweat, and sex, and Takumi somehow didn’t mind the wetness between their bellies. It could have gotten him hard all over again, if he had that kind of energy, but all of his muscles seemed to give up at once.

 

They slumped against each other, boneless, chests bumping together as they tried to catch their breaths. Leo laid kisses down Takumi’s neck, slowly, and Takumi could feel the way his entire body shuddered like he had been caught out in the cold. There was nothing to say - he felt stunned, and speechless, mostly exhausted. Leo gave up his kisses and simply laid his hot forehead down against Takumi’s broad shoulder.

 

“Will you live?” Takumi asked, and Leo huffed out a laugh.

 

“I think I’ll manage,” he replied, lolling his head to the side so he could gaze up at Takumi. His eyes drifted shut for a second, and Takumi put a hand to the back of his head, stroking down over the soft pale hair. 

 

“There’s still time to sleep,” Takumi said, “before we have to be up for day duty. So sleep.”

 

Leo groaned something that might have been a reply, and Takumi leaned back, lowering himself until he was flat on the ground. His entire body was sore, but Leo’s weight on top of him was a comfort (despite the fact that they hadn’t bothered to clean themselves up, but that could be a problem for later, when he actually cared). 

 

He heard Leo mutter something, but when Takumi asked him what he had said, there came no reply. Leo was fast asleep, face-down against his chest, and Takumi rolled his eyes. But he held tight.

 

* * *

 

When he awoke, Leo was to the side of him, still asleep. He had barely drifted, felt wholly unrested, though for once this was a loss of sleep that he wouldn’t regret.

Takumi watched Leo closely, how his chest rose and fell, slow. The morning sun washed the space of their tent in a soft cast of light; outside, he heard someone call out, yelling for their horse. Camp would continue to move. They were going fast into somewhere unknown, but for now, he wasn’t scared.

 

He reached out, past that small space between them, and brushed his fingertips over the slant of Leo’s high cheekbone. He wanted to kiss him again. There was a lightness in his chest that he had not felt in a long time, and wasn’t quite sure he knew what to do about that.

 

Leo’s eyelashes fluttered, and then he came to slowly, groggy with his shallow sleep. His gaze focused on Takumi’s face, and he rose his brows.

 

“Did you even sleep?” Leo wondered aloud, as if he knew the answer already, and punctuated the question with a yawn.

 

“Not really,” Takumi replied, would never admit that he had been too busy watching Leo and replaying everything in his head as if he needed to latch onto the memory, as if it would go.

They were silent, regarding each other in some new way. Whatever they had been before tonight, before Leo had kissed him that first time, before they had saved each other, before the acceptance – it felt oddly far away, like this was what they were meant for.

 

This, and nothing else, nothing but Leo running a thumb over the ridges of Takumi’s knuckles as if he had never touched his hand before.

 

“May I tell you something?” Leo asked.

 

“I would hope so, at this point.”

 

“Touché,” he said, and then stopped, hesitating.

 

“What?” Takumi prompted.

 

“You said something earlier, about how you didn’t understand why I had kissed you. Did you really never see how I felt? Did you never even guess? I thought I had been…painfully obvious.”

 

Takumi propped himself on one elbow, and raised his brows before responding, “Leo, you’re the opposite of obvious. I thought the near death experience had made you crazy, or something.”

 

“The fact that you assumed I wasn’t right in the head before considering that I might have feelings for you is concerning,” Leo sighed, and Takumi rolled his eyes.

 

“I just – I had no idea. How was I supposed to?” Takumi said, and paused, considering his honesty. “I never thought anyone could see me in that way, let alone you. It seemed impossible, you know?”

 

Leo’s fingers stopped the slow caress over Takumi’s knuckles and he replied, “Is that what you really believe?”

 

“I - ”

 

“Because it’s untrue. Even after everything, you became a good friend to me. You’re a dutiful brother. You’re loyal to your people. You’ve never been less than extraordinary – even when I knew nothing about you, I understood that, and it burned me inside,” Leo said, and he shut his eyes briefly, cheeks burned up with blush. “You want to know why I kissed you that night? It’s simply because I couldn’t stand not to anymore.”

 

“Leo…” Takumi started, felt his own face on fire by the heat that crept up his neck and into his cheeks. His heart lurched like it had been kicked, and all he could do was bow his head, as if it would help him gather his thoughts.

 

“Look at me,” Leo snorted, “being sentimental.”

 

“I like it,” Takumi said, smiling. “And here I thought you’d always be a snob.”

 

“You insult me after my proclamation?”

 

“It wouldn’t feel right if I didn’t. Besides, I’m not sure how to say what I need to, anyway. Not right now,” he said, trying to ignore his sudden nervousness. Looking at Leo’s face, he wanted to spill his guts - everything he had felt the past few months, from start to finish.

 

But the words wouldn’t come. Leo had bared him the truth, and here he was, choking. 

 

Leo blinked slowly, opened his mouth like he might say something, and then closed it. Then he sat up, stretching hard, all the bruises on his torso evident in the light. 

 

“Well, I’m sure I’ll be around to hear them. You - ”

 

“I was thinking, though,” Takumi cut him off sharply, and Leo glanced over. “When we were at that tavern, you asked what we would do after the war. I never really answered. And I’ve been - well, you know, I thought that we could help rebuild things together. Go to villages, see what our people need. And we’d be able to spend time with each other, and...anyway, it was just a thought.”

 

He closed his ramble, running a hand through his hair, and Leo was silent for a moment before he smiled.

 

“With some planning, I believe that would be a perfectly fine thought,” he said, and reached out to brush Takumi’s bangs out of his eyes. “So it’s a no to cutting your hair off and leading a life of celibacy?”

 

“After this, I don’t think I could ever be celibate.”

 

“You flatter me,” Leo said.

 

“But now we can’t use you as a virgin sacrifice, so there’s our downside.”

 

“I’m  _ leaving.” _

 

“Leo! No, I didn’t mean it!” Takumi laughed, and grabbed Leo by the waist when he tried to stand up in a fuss. “We can find a new virgin!”

 

“You’re a brat,” Leo spat, shoving Takumi away by the forehead, but he was smiling - a real smile, the kind that made his teeth show, the kind that made him seem as he was. A bright man, a kind one, the occasional pain in the ass that Takumi didn’t much mind. In fact, he didn’t mind it at all. 

 

“I know,” Takumi replied, and laid his head down onto Leo’s strong, bare thigh. “It’s why we get along.”

 

“Is that it?” Leo asked, bending down to press a kiss to Takumi’s temple. “Well, then it must be.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprisingly I'm not dead
> 
> I took a break from writing because I had to deal with Real Life Things but I really wanted to see this fic through! If you've noticed, it changed from 2 chapters to 3 - I could end it here, but I had such a certain way that I wanted the story to end, so I decided to add on an epilogue. Plus it gives me a chance to write more filth so uhhhhh I'm taking it. 
> 
> If you're reading this for the first time, I hope you liked it! If you read the first chapter and returned for this second one, thank you so much for being patient and coming back. :')
> 
> As always, you can find me on Twitter @ seafoam_sighs and on Tumblr @ laceandcaramel (I use Twitter much more frequently, but still!)
> 
> Till next time!


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